A Light Among Darkness
by theLawbringer
Summary: Isaac Blackburn is the Vatican's top swordsmen and is sent to japan on a routine Exorcism to silence a group of fallen angels, little does he know that the seemingly normal task will turn out to be the biggest event in his life (Powerful OC, small harem) (strong/less perverted Issei)
1. Prologue

_In a world filled with misery and uncertainty, _

_It is a great comfort to know, _

_That in the end, _

_There is a __light__ within the __**darkness**_

**-XxXxXxX-**

I was finally released at sun down; the tight corridors of my hotel room had almost rung me over the edge like an angry ex wife on a bad day. About a haft hour ago I had received my orders to move towards a distant family farm house that was experiencing a 'Problem', the orders I had been given were almost music to my bored ears

Find and eliminate...

Pretty much the same as all the others, some family up in the south had a bad case of ghouls roaming around her family farm and it just so happened that the only call that had gotten through her land line was to me and my superiors in the Vatican

'_What a coincidence'_ I thought sarcastically as I loosened my priest's collar to allow as much spring air in as possible, July heat is a bitch especially when it's in the States

The ghouls were the least of my problems; they usually meant a vampire was lurking around in the area which had me branding a few items of interest just to 'spicen' the night crawlers day. Placing my gear into my hidden jacket pockets I picked up a 4-5 foot long roll of cloth and proceeded towards the family house

I had reached the intended house in a skip and a jump and was glad I had made it there before the night had fallen due to my value of my only vehicle I had parked a few miles down road, the night wasn't ideal for hunting a vampire and not having a good escape plan was a horrible thought for me

'_On any circumstance, I'd rather make this quick then draw it out' _the less this family had to witness the better, and as I walked up the steps towards the family house door I could practically feel the foots steps ring out in the old wooden floor boards as a women in here late 20-30's leapt out and into my arms, fear and relief written on her face all at the same time

"You're finally here father Blackburn... thank god you're here" she said my name in between a sob, her emotions were a complete wreck, and distraught was the smallest of descriptions that could relate to the women,

'_she must've seen allot' _I summarized as a looked around to see various household products either tipped over or destroyed, a struggle had obviously gone down in this house and I could practically whistle at the luck the shocked girl had cause she sported zero wounds, she may have had a bruise on her wrist but she was otherwise _physically _fine, Psychological on the other had was a different story

I had helped her stop crying but all she did after that was stare off into space as I carried her inside, Who can really blame her, not many people get to witness a small zombie contingent make itself present out on your family door step and by the lack of other family members around she was probably all that remained

Grimacing, I laid the women on the couch and casted a light sleeping spell around her, sending her into a dreamless sleep, the shock of what she had witnessed had sent her into a survival adrenaline rush and after I had arrived she convinced herself she was safe and with that in mind the adrenaline keeping her functioning had begun to were off allowing the nights events to sink into her mind

Once I had finished with her I glanced around the houses interior, nothing to different, the couch sat adjacent to the fire place which was burning with fresh fire wood, two other chairs sat on either side of the couch and a kitchen was directly to the couches left a set of stairs were directly to the left of the front door entrance and a back door was also seen on the other end of the room, directly ahead of the front door

Two entrances and a chimney, making a total of three large entrance ways, not to mention the various windows located around the houses interior, I grumbled softly, the location wasn't in the least my most preferable place to combat the vampire and its pack of ghouls, however, insuring the life of the women had to come first before confronting the creature but its nest needed to be found before any action could be taken place even before that

I had taken the time in locking both the front as well as back doors for basic security and then I moved to the windows on the main floor only, the top floor wasn't necessary as there was only one creature I'd be dealing with that was capable of leaping a story high so even if it did come here I'd now who it was

The intelligence of the vampire could also be determined, if it sent its ghouls after me first then its intelligence was there but if it attacks first then it's just another blood lusting creature in need of being put down

Vampires had a form of hive mind when it came to its ghouls so if it died then the ghouls would follow along with it, cut the head off the snake's head and the nexus shall fall, the only hard part was dealing with the strength, speed I could handle

As I secured the living room I placed various holy seals and magic traps all around the living rooms perimeter and, for added measure, threw a bundle of garlic into the fire place, very primitive survival technique which had been taught to me,

Griselda Quarta, an old friend of mine who had grown up alongside me in the Vatican had proven to handle Vampires much better than myself, much to my ire, but other than that we've been on a same level

'_I could use her help right about now though' _it wasn't a form of weakness really, it was just my paranoia for the helpless, and Griselda was always better at handling the helpless while I was better at dealing with the problem: other then my dislike of her skills against vampires I took no irking to her 'babysitting' skills, and because I had only one vampire to deal with didn't mean I wouldn't appreciate the small amount of help from my 'babysitting' friend

Shaking away the thought I took a glance to the clock and realized that the time was late evening meaning the sun had fallen, the lack of natural light flowing through the windows also helped in answering my un worded question, now that the house was basically my fortress and the girl was clean of all impurities meant I could start my work

I took my time as I calmed the farm from inside the living room, the lack of movement outside was the most worrying, if I was a novice then that would worry me, however, I wasn't so the lack of movement was actually a good sign, it meant they were either still asleep or they were eating, the cattle ranch that I had seen on my way up was empty and not a single cow bell was heard which left me to guess the ghouls and the vampire had rounded up 'appetisers'

Animal blood wasn't as filling as human blood which gave me only so much time to locate my targets before they became hungry again, a direct approach could be my best option, the sheer presents of my holy divinity caused by my crucifix around my neck would stir the 'hornets' nest into a frenzy, for the ghouls of course, the vampire would either attempt to flee if it was weak or stand and fight if it was either strong or heavily arrogant

But there was also the idea of taking a guess and heading towards the barn to my immediate left, the other side of the road was basically no man's land as no other buildings were in sight all that remained was the barn and a cattle field, there was a wheat silo but if the vampires were there then they must have broken some kind of unnatural record of sorts

All that could house the ghouls and the vampire was obviously the barn and with that in thought I grabbed my cloth wrapped item and stepped outside, not before confirming the seals and barriers were in place of course

As soon as I stepped out and into the darkness of night all ambient sound ceased as if the vary appearance of me had stopped time itself, the light poles were destroy as they were laying directly over the only other truck in the area so there was no light what so ever, complete darkness was basically the play ground for creatures of the night, closing my eyes I muttered a single phrase

"And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehend it not" (john 1:5) as I uttered the verse in a whisper I felt a warmth fall over my being as the feeling of dread left me and in its stead was a comfort, opening my eyes I could see all of the farms details much clearly and to anyone else who saw me, my eyes would be burning orbs of white light, blinding to evil and comforting to the good

Now that I could move without worry of running into something I tightened my grip over the cloth wrapped item in my hands and pressed towards the barn

The vision of mine brought many different affects, aside from being able to see in absolute darkness I could see darkness itself, this was because the barn I was walking towards had a large degree of black smoke rising from it, its flow was fast but not crazy signalling whatever was inside had evil intentions, however, if the flow of the darkness was any faster I'd basically be walking towards a house of devils, something that wasn't on the forefront of my mind

As I stepped closer towards the barns entrance I noticed the smoke had slowed down considerably which had left me in wonder, how was this vampire able to hide its intentions so well? Perhaps its ambition was faulted when it felt my presents and it was now planning to run or maybe...

My inquisitive expression dropped when the barns door opened slightly allowing me to see in towards the barns interior, I snorted in disgust when all I saw was the bloody remains of a man, or what was left of him, his torso was wrench open exposing his ribs and where his heart was supposed to be, key word 'suppose' as there was no sign of any heart, his arms and legs were torn off leaving only the head, which was mangled beyond recognition

Poor bastard...

In the distance I noticed a blurred object come flying towards me, its lethality was all but no existent when it landed at my feet, glancing down I took notice of the missing heart which caused me to snort softly, it mutilated a man and now it had the audacity to taunt me

May it make good hunting in Purgatory

Looking over to my right and then my left I noticed a handful of ghouls meandered out into my view. Each and every one of them look like they were residents as they wore farmers clothing, a ghoul was seen wearing classic blue coveralls with a red under shirt and another wore a white house apron, obviously it was the mom and dad as they each looked older then the two other ghouls who looked to be in their teens, similar to myself except less ugly... and blue

From atop the barns upper rafters sat a man, he was a normal build. Possibly in his mid twenties which had him looking rather college boyish, short and spiky black hair sat lazily over his head and a 'city slicker' outfit adored his person, if my intuition was as good as I was evaluated as then this man was obviously the 'soon to be son in law' the daughter had brought home from her trip to the 'outside' world, it's a common tradition amongst everyone, bring stranger home for 'the test' but it just so happened that the daughter had accidently brought home a vampire, which had ended up destroying her life

I ignored the vampire and glanced towards the ghouls again and looked to them with slight sadness

"May you all rest in peace" I muttered calmly

"Hehehe, well he's resting in _pieces_ if that's what you want" called out a voice; I had expected a rather rude comment from the creature above me... They always seem to say the _wrong_ thing

His tone of voice was a snarky, cocky tone filled with malice and a level of unholy essences that had crawled its way up into my ear drums terribly slow, _its _voice was the last thing I wanted to hear now as I was close to ending this _very _soon

I glanced up towards the vampire calmly; my white glowing eyes gave the creature a very cold chill up his spine

"I do not recall directing that to you" I said as the vampire got up and stood on the rafters, his posture showed he was trying to intimidate me, his scrutinizing gaze battled with my calm gaze as I remained silent, the vampire smirked and released a small chuckle as if aware of something

"Oh? Why not? I thought the teachings of your god taught you to love your enemies" he pointed out mockingly

"The word of god didn't say anything about keeping monsters like you alive" I answered evenly

"That's a very stretched belief you have there _exorcist_, perhaps I misjudged you" he said spitting the word 'exorcist' like it was acid in his mouth

"Do not wage judgement on those you aren't familiar with _vampire_"

"I believe there isn't much to familiarize myself with, you see, by what I can understand is—"he ranted on as I ignored his pointless words and instead calmly unwrapped the clothed item I had been carrying

Dropping the offending fabric the vampire stopped mid rant to glance down towards the weapon I had revealed, set at a length of 4'6" was a straight Zetsurin katana, both the handle as well as the scabbard was white in color with a golden metal design all around where the 'tsuba' was suppose to be, the very appearance of the weapon gave off a faint white glow that caused a sense of hesitance to fall over the vampires being, unfortunately for him, he seemed to still hold the 'higher than thou' expression

"That's all? A sword? Hahaha! You honestly believe that little thing will kill me?' he asked with cockiness dripping from ever word, I simply shifted my sheathed sword to my left hand and gripped it in a reverse grip, my grip was loose but firm as I held the concealed weapon at my side, and as I took in my stance I felt whole again, like a piece of a puzzle had finally been placed in the right spot

Show time

"If that's your choice... then so be it priest" called out the creature as it stepped back, the ghouls that had been waiting by finely shifted and limped their way towards me, I surveyed the positions of my immediate targets who were closing the distance, eyes sharpening, muscles tensing I waited for the first strike to arrive

I didn't wait long as the self preservation instinct in ghouls was nearly zero which left them numb to the impending danger they were closing in on. For an instant the barn was filled with the sound of metal leaving a scabbard then returning a second later, and as a faint clicking noise resounded through the barn did the following sound of blood spraying from a deeply cut wound

I appeared as I did seconds ago but the female ghoul who had lunged toward me was now lying on the ground in a bloody heap, its head cleanly removed at the neck.

"H-How...?" gapped the vampire as the corpse burst into white flames, I simply glanced towards the wide eyed vampire with a bored/disappointed expression written on my face, this seemed to anger the 'powerful' vampire because immediately after it saw my expression it pointed towards me and yelled commandingly towards the ghouls, who quickly adopted a more aggressive movement style, instead of heavy shimmying the previously limping ghouls lunged all at the same time

Predictable...

The most guessable move a panicking target was to use every asset he/she had in order to overwhelm its pursuers or it was to cause a diversion, however, the vampire seemed to be of the former action as he still remained in his place, commendable but arrogant, even I knew when to retreat

It's better to remain alive and fighting then dead and useless

As the creatures of the damned closed in, time slowed to a crawl as I dexterously swung my sheathed sword around, striking each of the three ghouls in critical stunning locations, as my last strike slammed into the last ghoul I spun and slowly unsheathed a bright razor edged blade from within the confines of the sheath, the first ghoul to finally collect itself was suddenly bisected at the hip and then the second down the middle, the last was still moving at a crawl but I moved faster than light itself

With a final swiping of my curve-less Zetsurin sword I smoothly sheathed it, the faint clicking sound resounded and the three strike's that which were previously inflicted were finally registered, the first ghouls torso fell from its body causing blood to fountain like a gazer, the second split in haft giving off the same amount of blood and the last fell forward spewing the crimson liquid like rain, seconds after each body was enveloped in a white fire

The previously cocky vampire now showed its previous human characteristic's at the sight of its minions' demise; fear wrote its presents on the vampire's face as the night walker stared into the white glowing eyes I held

The only thing crossing his mind was probably 'Why?' 'How did this happen?' they usually think that as the defeat finally sinks in

However...

The defeat had initiated a completely different emotion, I could see a rage-full expression morph onto its face, completely flushing the previous fear from its expression and now it looked mindless, completely forgetting its intelligence and now it opted to use brute force to win

"**RAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH"** its beastly roar could have practically torn the barn apart as I remained stationary, expression calm as ever. The raging vampire had finally lost it, how its expression went so drastic was beyond me because all I did was exorcise four ghouls, that action shouldn't have warranted this kind of reaction

Seems he's having a temper tantrum... heh heh

The eyes of the vampire snapped to me as its previously red eyes were completely engulfed in the crimson shade, its nose was snarling and its fangs were bared like a wild animal shot up with rabies, for the most part I remained as calm as ever keeping my white glowing eyes trained on the rabid vampire before me

His hesitance was probably due to the icy feeling my eyes were drilling into him, a rabid vampire was usually worse than a normal one but if one was trained well enough then all you needed to do was A) stay clear of its reach, vampire strength is gnarly and it could snap even a well built person in haft and B) a rabid vampire acts on quick decisive impulses, if one wishes to attack then do so without hesitating

With all the training within my mind I leveled my swinging arm over the handle of my sword; my stance was pristine and well sharpened. Years of Iaido training had sharpened my senses to almost inhuman levels

"**RRROOOOOAAAAAHHHH" **the vampire's battle cry bounced off the wooden boards like a ping pong ball and its heavy foot falls followed after its mighty roar, as the vampire was fast on approach I closed my eyes and waited for the best time to strike

Once the vampire reached the 10 foot mark I quickly unsheathed my blade in a swinging motion, a soft ringing noise followed as a crescent shaped wave flew towards the charging vampire at blinding speeds cleaving him from the right hip to the left shoulder

Blood sprayed from the vampires back covering the barns rear door in a deep crimson shade and as the body of the vampire fell to the ground I sheathed my blade officially closing the vampire's life to an end

Sorry mitro... no luck for you...

**-XxXxXxX-**

"So what happened after that?" asked a young girl officially shaking my attention from the memory, I smiled down to the child and patted her head softly; I was so busy rehashing my tale that I had lost myself in it, the memory was my... second? No, third mission I had finished alone, usually I had my friend back me up but sometimes it's good to just wing it, the victory is twice as sweet

"Well sweetie, what do you think I did?" I asked in return, the girl's expression changed to a questioning one before she turned back and smiled

"You helped the lady!" she said with a joyous expression, I chuckled softy before poking her chest playfully

"You got it" I answered as I sensed a presents behind me and smiled to the girl and pointed to her friends in a field

"That's enough story time ok, how about you go play?" I said gesturing towards the boys at the park, the girl smiled widely before turning, I smiled at the girl as the sweet innocence's she had reminded me of my own, when I was young of course, turning my head I saw none other than Griselda Quarta, an old friend of mine, step up behind me

She, as always, wore a regular sister's outfit, the simple color scheme of black with white trimming, she wore white garments underneath her black sister outfit, and her sleeves had multiple 'iron cross' designs all around her wrist

Her expression held one of light surprise as she had probably witness me being all 'father' like towards the orphans, couldn't really blame her, most of the time I held my usual stoic expression or the cold one for that matter. The sight of a _genuine _smile on _my _face was probably a sight to see

I think...

"Well aren't you being all friendly" she said in a kind voice though I hinted some teasing laced within her words, I simply brushed off her slight teasing tone like a leaf in the wind, we may be good friends but that didn't mean there wasn't a slight unprofessional rivalry between me and her

"What is it that you wish to speak of Griselda? My time here is short" I said while ignoring her teasing eyes, the women before me signed calmly while muttering 'hardass' under her breath before replacing her previous expression to a serious one

"The archbishop has called your presents, seems like things are stirring up in Japan" she informed with a calm expression, I could see her expression look of one with more thought in the manner it was hard for normal people to see due to her usual friendly disposition but under her seemingly normal personality laid a much more 'emotional' quality

I ignored the chance to call her out on the matter as I wished to keep my head, heavy teasing usually led to light banter _and then _bloodshed which, in front of kids, was a big no-no

"Aw yes, Japan..." I began as decent memories passed by my mind, it was a land of which I had the pleasant memory of meeting a select few individuals, both figuratively and literally, one of Griselda's pupils' was born there some time ago. Huh, to bad she was off on business, she could've reunited with that friend she wouldn't shut up about

'_To be young...' _I thought with a smile, it may sound weird that a seemingly young man such as myself had said that as I could basically pass as a senior high school student. _That _however was far too hard to answer, since I had grown up with Griselda since her younger years, however _she _was the only one able to age pasther teens_, _I on the other hand remained as young as the night sky

Like I said... It's complicated

"What kind of problem do they wish to speak about?" was my second inquisitive question, Griselda narrowed her eyes ever so slightly at my continues questioning but she dropped it and relented the information.

"The 'fallen angel' kind" she answered cryptically, the answer was pretty much a wide blow, bunch of fallen were stirring up trouble in Japan and they want me to see what it was, though with my skill set they must be high ranking.

I released a sigh at her words. The fallen angels were a different bunch, they acted like bipolar children, one minute their passive as all git up then the next second they're out for blood.

Releasing another sigh I rubbed my cheek "Alright then, I'll see you around Griselda" I exclaimed with a friendly smile to which it was returned in kind

"May god's words bless you, Isaac" was her farewell comment; I returned the gesture with an acknowledging wave and went on my way towards the archbishops office room, I hadn't really expected a sudden rise in fallen angel actions as of recent, the angels had be assisting us Christians with minor help and the devils remained as dormant as ever, maybe a few rating games sprang up here and there but it was always noble publicity stunts to strengthen relations among their own houses

The fallen angels however showed to be more active than the rest, aside from the Vatican's actions of disposing the odd heretic, the fallen angel's actions might as well be considered full on military, with all the gathering of fallen as well as the increase of sacred gear users. _That _is what had set off the higher ups; one of the three sides was increasing their ranks with sacred gear users, one in particular stood head over heels above the rest

In all of my years of service before the church I had never experienced this much apprehension, with all that has changed I was prepared for the worst, the peace treaty between the three races was dangerously thin, so thin I could cut it, even the simplest of actions against the other could jeopardize peace on earth, and the fact that I was probably going to be issuing reconnaissance had me shaking with unrepentant excitement.

I was a swordsman; yeah damn right I'm excited

But I was not interested in the mindless slaughter of innocent lives, and for some reason the fallen angels just loved killing them. Tch, for a bunch of former angels they sure didn't act like it, at least the devils had the heart to keep them alive albeit in slavery with a crap load of sugar coating on it

I had reached the archbishops office sometime after my inner thoughts had ceased, flexing my fist for a second I gave the door a firm yet respectable nock and awaited my approval which was not to long as the voice of my superior called out to me

"You may enter" was the calm voice of archbishop Doran Arndell

Stepping into the brightly light room I noticed the ever familiar glass window of the cross looming over my superiors back, its bright light was blinding but a few seconds and it left me as my eyes adjusted to it

It never ceased to amaze me on how this man's room could be field with so much sun light, first impressions would probably leave you thinking archbishop Arndell was a little scared of the dark

I hadn't noticed but my inner musing seemed to have caused me to unintentionally chuckle at my thought's which had caught the cloak wearing mans attention quickly

"Care to explain what's so funny father Blackburn?" he asked commandingly, seems today was a touchy day, steeling myself and coughing my previously expression away I locked my blue eyes with his aging grey eyes

"It was nothing archbishop, just a fleeting memory" I answered

"Be that as it may I would like you to stay focus Isaac, I have an important task for you and your full attention is required" he advised seriously. Bloody hard bastard never laughed or joked, which had made it slightly hard to deal with almost every time I found myself in his ever brightening office

Good thing he's a temporary superior...

Looking towards the bearded man I gave him my usual stoic expression "Will this take precedence over my immediate mission?" I asked.

"Sadly yes, I have already reassigned father Anderson to your job and would like you to instead take this one" he informed while studying a sheet of paper, most likely containing the basics of my mission

"And why is it that this job demands my skill set... if I may ask of course?"

"The details are in the manila file in your chambers, however your departure is to be as soon as you are able... are you able?" he asked while narrowing his eyes to me

my simple response was a nod

**-XxXxXxX-**

An hour later and I found myself on a public jet to Japan; the destination was kouh city, apparently by what the reports said I was to recon the territory for any suspicious activity, and if any were found I was to, like always, asses and eliminate the threat

For the hundredth time that day I sighed at my situation, due to curtain restrictions in Japan I was unable to use the private jet to kouh as it was devil territory, for some reason my superiors didn't want the locals to know I was here, no argument there, devils were of the least of my concern, if they were harmless, if they proved otherwise then... meh, I'll answer that when the situation demands it

Shifting in my window seat chair I leaned over and watched as the clouds passed by and after what seemed like a couple minutes did I finally drift off to sleep

**-XxXxXxX-**

The journey to the land of the rising sun was a long one; and now that I had finally landed I could fully embrace the wonderful feeling of jet lag.

f_ck

The silver lining however was that the Vatican higher ups had the decency to rent me a relatively comfortable hotel suite, they may be hard asses but damn did they show it in style and as I plopped myself onto the soft mattress I couldn't help but thank whatever luck I had

My 'time-zone adjusting' sleep ended an hour and a few later helping me to feel much better than a ghoul on a bad day

"time to go to work" I muttered while lifting myself towards the desk at the far side of the suite, whatever time I had prior to sleeping I had spent in unpacking and detailing all my Intel of my job, not much to unpack so it was mostly a skim through of what I'd be looking at, all that I had been briefed on was located within the manila folder archbishop Arndell had given me

'Let's see here..." I trailed off as I read through the documents, nothing stood out as all I could understand was that this city was a vary disclosed area for devils to roam in piece, not a single church was active within the city limits, Kyoto had active churches but every one of them in kouh were either replaced with shopping districts or rich duplex houses

Although, one church still remained, its structure was beaten and it was but a mere shadow of its past self.

Heh, this wasn't exactly hard to figure out, a novice exorcist could've made this out in the same time span that I had taken

The churches location was located near the edge of the city limits on a hill in the suburbs; almost everywhere around it was surrounded with thick tree lines making it a perfect place to hide something. All of this was probably already figured out by the scholars in the Vatican which only left me as the answer finder, the fallen angels were up to something and my job was to stir sh_t up

Tagging the place on my mind I slipped on my casual outfit so to keep incognito and strode out the door, I wasn't planning on making myself present yet if not at all, the vampire job I had done a few years ago was a learning curb in my time with the church, this situation didn't demand me to walk to the maidens door step, catch her in my arms, then proceed to handle the threat like a clichéd action hero, Griselda had practically drilled that message home long ago

Knowing your enemy is haft the battle...

The damn saying ran through my mind like a mantra as I walked the streets of kouh, my first action was simple, walk by and look as ignorant as possible, if I was approached by any such individual that looked in any way fallen then I was to act the tourist Schick like I owned it

I stopped in my walk when I noticed the intended church in the distance, the mid day sun shined down on the city limits but it seemed to ignore the church as no sun light beamed down onto it giving it an eerie vibe

Ignoring the common instinct to stay away I dipped into the forest canopy and proceeded towards the church. Not much was left of it when I finally got close enough to see every detail; glass was practically decaying off its foundation as the wooden structure seemed to shake at even the slightest of breezes, it was old but not that old

Sniffing the air slightly I nearly gripped my nose in distaste when the stench of 'blasphemy' reached my nostrils, it wasn't my beliefs that spoke per say but it was the classification the church had given that 'beautiful' smell. The stench exhibited evil and vile intentions, a 'blasphemy stench' could be only smelt when a evil force derived in a location for a long period of time and when its exposure is left unchecked then it can even effect the resounding area as well, hence the decaying structure

Whatever these 'angels' were doing they were doing it sloppy cause I've already found their base of operations

**-XxXxXxX-**

A had left the church some time after without so much as attracting any attention, apparently the fallen were out and about as there was no fallen angel presents resonating within the church, but they did leave their bread crumbs un-scattered letting me believe it was their base of operations

A few days passed as I studied and watched the churches movements and status from select locations all around the area, from distant roof tops to the top of the church its self, the results were the buildings continuous decaying structure and an increasing urge to vomit whenever I'm close to it, it seemed its condition was ever dropping as I skillfully deducted

I scratched my head while I skimmed over a dossier of four individuals I had dug up, the first was a man appearing to be in his early thirties and he wore fedora and an over coat which was grey in color, the second was a relatively young girl about fifteen years old who wore a gothic Lolita which was black and white in color, the third was a older women appearing in her late thirties or early forties, she wore a rather provocative outfit reminiscent of a purple secretary outfit and the last was a women I had classified as the less then decent individual. Black hair, violet eyes and a _very _provocative attire of leather, leather straps and metal spikes, the word 'bondage' would leapt into one's mind at the mere sight of her

An hour later and my email was answered by one of the many scholars in charge of my operation, the man was named Dohnaseek, a low classed fallen with only one pair of wings, his arrogant disposition was rather dutifully noted as his most outgoing personality, facing him was gonna be annoying, the girl was classified as Mittelt, similar to the man she was a single pair fallen, her personality wasn't noted but it wasn't needed as I've been able to eavesdrop on a few of their less then 'colorful' conversations, confidence radiated from her like the sun

The secretary women was named Kalawarner and I swear to god I was starting to doubt the level of threat these women were carrying because each of them were single winged, the last one, Raynare was their leader and she herself carried nothing special because she, as well, had a single pair of wings, all she had above the others was that she wasn't registered on the Vatican's radar meaning she's been less than a nuances up until now and even then her threat level was laughably low, I didn't get any info on her motive's via Scholar but with the help of eavesdrop spells leveled all around their little base helped me learn a shred of her objective rather easily

A day from now an un-named individual was apparently being reassigned to that particular church. The level of threat this Raynare carried was so bad I had haft a mind that this said individual was the actual leader, aside from the random insults being spewed out towards each other the fallen seemed rather driven to whatever their objective was

I sure hope it's of high importance or else I'd feel my skills were at a waste here... or the Vatican just wanted this job crushed as soon as it veered its ugly head

"Seems as though the threat of the fallen is becoming more apparent, even the less then notable are making moves" I muttered as I polished my sword. Finishing my daily cleaning I admired the blades shine before sheathing the silver blade back into its white scabbard, a bored expression written on my face as I did so

At some point in a swordsman's life comes a period of boredom, were there is absolutely no one who could keep up with you in skill. Griselda was a fantastic swordswomen but even then it wasn't her line of profession and I had passed her skill level years ago... and I had yet to meet someone of her skill since

I wasn't a fanatic for violence but I wasn't a pacifist either, I would at all points avoid a battle if necessary but when it came to those who don't listen to reason then I'll let my sword do the talking, my skills would become my charisma

My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden rise in power not too far from where I was, the power was unnaturally familiar but I dashed the feeling in favor of seeing what it was, stepping towards the window I peered out into the evening sun

The almost empty city helped in determine what had happened, across the way towards a street was a green glow that gave off high amounts of power, it was powerful but nothing of eye opening level as it died down in reading, I didn't want to let an opportunity slip as I slipped on my churches grey cassock grabbed my sword and hurried out to find what was happening... hopefully it was one of the fallen, I could use some more solid answers right about now

**-XxXxXxX-**

On my way towards the disturbance I could hear a distinct voice of a women, an angry women mind you, yelling towards someone I couldn't make out just yet

'_So she's confronting someone, but with whom?'_ I thought confusedly, if the 'angels' had plans with this mysterious girl then why are they making a ruckus before he/she arrived, whatever they were doing it was beginning to look even more sloppy then what they initially showed, it was under my understanding that whatever someone plans the followers are to make as little a ruckus as possible so to keep as much attention away from them, it sort of helps the plans move much smoother

I finally arrived at the scene to see a young man about 16-17 years stand before Kalawarner, the description I had received of her helped me in determining who it was the boy was facing, luckily the women was facing away from him as I chose to approach from her rear, the boy looked to be of normal build as he had no evident muscles or any form of build for that matter, he wore a regular outfit for urban exposure but what caught my eye however was a red and green fingerless gauntlet, most of it was red but the gem on top of the hand was green, two yellow spikes jutted out of the sides towards the upper part of his arm

'_so he has a sacred gear, too bad the first thing he's facing is the kind who take the most interest in them' _I was mildly surprised that I had found a sacred gear user on this 'mundane' task but it also spiked my inner instinct to assist him, sacred gear users were far and in between and they were also the only weapons that could help humanity if the war did reinitiate

What kept me from helping however was because the vary boy I was looking at wasn't who he appeared to be, from the outside he appeared to be a normal human but that was simply because his power reading was so low, if one trained on his presents they would sense the faint unholy energy within him

'_so he isn't a human after all but is instead a devil' _I grumbled internally, it seemed the other two fractions, being the fallen angels and the devils, seemed to have more luck in acquiring sacred gear users then the humans and angels, albeit the latter had a barren few

For observational purposes I remained where I was so to learn of Kalawarner's power level, and all that I had been able to learn was that she was all talk with no action, the reason? For the last minute the provocative women simple chose to attack the teen with various insults then just killing him out right

The worst part was that even though the women's top was gone, she still remained calm and ignored the fact her breast's were hanging out, I felt my expression drop at the rather 'funny' situation, a women's anger is something hard to control and judging by the women's expression the previously arrogant fallen anger was out for blood, so much so she didn't feel the need to cover up

Now that's angry...

Don't take my actions the wrong way, Devils are my enemy but ONLY when they choose to be, a long time ago there was a more lenient treaty between the three races when the war was closed in on a cease fire and at that time the kingdom of man was beginning to reappear after its destruction in the war. Each of the three races came together so to make a peace between them to let the kingdom of man restart a new, however, the devils were allowed to take a select few into their ranks to help rekindle their numbers, that was the bases for what was to become of the 'evil pieces'

The other two races didn't get much else other than a limited freedom to go about themselves daily, the angels basically secluded themselves and only appeared to assist churches and humans, the fallen went about in the underworld and would later witness the devils civil war, some may say they even participated albeit vaguely

Whatever the case I simply took in what I had been taught years ago and acted based on my principles alone, stepping out from my cover I moved much faster than a normal person and I quickly found myself in between the teen and the much older fallen angel

At the sudden appearance of me the two reacted predictably, the teen widened his eyes and nearly jumped out of his skin and the fallen angel gasped and almost did the same as the boy although it was much more hidden then the formers reaction

"What the...? Who the hell are you?!" the women demanded as I kept my gaze on her, I held my Zetsurin loosely at my side just in case the women became unreasonable

"My name does not matter, what matters is the immediate actions you were about to take" I replied coldly

The women's expression morphed into rage filled ones at my words before she finally chose to retort "this has nothing to do with you _priest_ now stay out of this!" her expression changed however when I flicked my sword out just enough to expose the silver blade's shine

"I'll make it my business" I said threateningly

When it comes down to the basic understanding of power one must understand that power, when in high doses, instinctively instils fear in the hearts of weaker individuals and Kalawarner was one of those individuals, at my slight action and my silent promise of pain the formerly angry fallen angel adopted a desperate expression

"I've got better things to do, I'm gonna let someone else deal with this crap" she said quickly before turning tail. Huh, seems like one of them is a coward and I honestly didn't even try that hard, she sure scares easy

Hearing the soft click of my sword being sheathed I sighed and attempted to leave but the teen behind me called out in thanks

"Thanks for the save back there dude, I owe you" he said rather flamboyantly if I duly note, his previous expression was now one of sheepish thanks as he smiled and waved towards me like we were buds

"What's your name?" I asked while keeping my cold gaze on

"Dude, what's with the expression." he asked while he pointed to me, he didn't show fear but I could see my presents was making him restless, the green gem on his had was even glowing faintly signalling even it knew I was a threat, the boy however remained unaware

Ignorance is bliss I suppose

"Forget my expression and answer me please" I informed with a little more force

He blinked for a second before answering "my name?" he asked so to confirm my previous question to which I nodded slowly "Oh.. Well... it's Issei Hyoudou, nice to meet you" he informed in between hesitance, a small smile following his words

I nodded to his introduction but kept my gaze on him "Well Hyoudou, do you have any idea what I am?" he inclined his head before answering "A fallen angel?" he answered with a confused tone

I could've sworn my eyebrow twitched at his claim. Thank god I'm a nice guy; anyone else in the Vatican would've lobbed his head off by that statement

"No Hyoudou, I'm an exorcist... your enemy" by my answer the boy tensed up in fear. It was a reasonably reaction

"Before you run Hyoudou, I have a message for you and your master" I said while keeping my expression primed on his scared eyes

The boy remained silent as I thought of a message; all my actions up to this point were adlib so I had absolutely no idea what I was planning but instead of turning away I pressed on

"Tell your master that if he/she wishes to keep his/her members alive he/she is to keep a better watch on them" I said seriously, Issei simply nodded to my words

"that goes to you to Hyoudou, from what I can understand you are new to being a devil am I correct?" he nodded to my words, he look rather depressed at hearing that but I ignored it and continued

"then a word from the wise" I started as he looked to me "the odds of you dying are much higher now, so keep your eyes open" I warned him, the teen nodded again like a child being scolded by a strict parent

"If you've got any other plans tonight then I recommend you cancel them... For your safety of course, fallen angels usually hunt at night" I said while turning to leave, here I was in a land far from my birth place scolding a newbie devil

Life sure has a way with twisting fate

"Yeah, I've kinda learned that by now" he said while gripping his stomach

"You can go now Hyoudou, and remember to relay that message of mine" I reminded Issei as he picked up his bike and peddled away

I too chose that time to depart back to my hotel suite as the night wasn't my desired time of day either, I had learned of the fallen Angel Kalawarner's personality and behavior and learned of a devil by the name of Issei Hyoudou

Although the latter wasn't initially intended

"I do wonder how that master of his will take that advice of mine, though he didn't seem too scared when I told him to relay a message meaning his master isn't the 'kill the messenger' type, but still..." it was a fleeting feeling of worry towards a former humans life, one usually didn't take slavery in a good way... usually, and the treatment behind it was anything but pleasant my actions were to give him a simple heads up on his new life... he'll need it

**-XxXxXxX- **

Issei's day couldn't have gotten any worse, nearly an hour ago he had been summoned on his first contract but all he got out of it was a heated debate about 'Dragon boy Z' with no pact in the end to boot and then he had been attack by a crazy bitch of a fallen angel who apparently had been sent out to kill him, the reason eluded him just as much as the platinum haired exorcist who had come to his aid, and like before the reasons still eluded him, the man barely looked like he did it out of the kindness of his heart and he hadn't a clue why the man went out to help him in the first place

Stepping into the old school building the young teen made his way towards the occult research club room with a degraded look on his face

"This sucks, how am I suppose to become a harem king with a start like this" the classic anime tears strode done his face like a river at the depressing thought

The teen stepped into the club room with a much better expression as he felt he needed to make an impression that the shitty day didn't deter him even slightly, to bad for him the raven haired women in the room was much better at detecting his foul mood

"Ara ara, did it go that bad" she said with a teasing tone a hand clasped on her cheek to add to her innocent expression, at her words the young males expression morphed back to his earlier expression of sadness, Akeno Himejima simply chuckled further at his change in attitude

Rias Gremory held herself firm when the new pawn of hers returned but it dropped when she took notice of his down casted expression appear at her queens teasing tone

"What's wrong Issei, did you make the pact?" she asked causing him to turn to her with a saddened expression

"Sadly no" issei informed sheepishly

"well, don't be too down it's not like everyone makes their pact on the first try" Rias reassured softly, the teen shifted in his spot at her kind words and suddenly remember that he had something of more positive value

"I did manager to awaken whatever this is" he said while showing off his red and green gauntlet, at the sight of the gauntlet Rias' eyes widened considerably

"How did you awaken it?" she asked skeptically

"On my way back here I was confronted by a fallen angel again" he replied making Rias' eyes narrow at their actions

Calming down some Rias smiled proudly towards her new pawn "yes, that's your sacred gear, Congratulations" leaning forward on her desk Rias admired the red gauntlet carefully all the while thinking of her current position, ignoring it for now Rias returned to her earlier conversation

"Now that you have awakened it, it's up to you if you want to turn it on or off" at her words the gauntlet shone brightly before vanishing

Issei rubbed the back of his head in relief all the while muttering that it would 'get in the way'

"I'm so proud of you Issei" gushed the raven haired women who had also noticed the red glove on the boys hand; however, no one heard his comment

"Though this does put me at a tight spot, now that the fallen angels now know that not only are you alive but you have also been reborn as one of us which is bound to make things complicated" she muttered while looking off to the side

Rias' words caused the young teen to stir nervously, if the fallen angels were gonna make things complicated then what would she think of the exorcist that helped him

"Issei, I was wondering how you managed to ward off the fallen angel" she said while glancing towards him questioningly, even the others eyes burned into his back at the inquisitive question

"W-well... I- uhh... had a little... Help" he informed with great hesitance, Rias suspected the boy was talking about his sacred gear; however his expression explained that it was much different, perhaps it was one of Sona's servants that assisted him and he had no clue

"Issei? Who helped you?" pressed the red head

Issei knew he was on the spot and he also knew that nothing would get him out of it and so he answered as calmly as possible

"He was an exorcist" he answered

The expressions of everybody morphed to great shock at the information, Rias showed the heaviest amount of surprise as she had never in her entire life heard of such a thing from happening, an exorcist was never known to leave devils standing much less unharmed but this one did, her anger grew at having not only the fallen angels in her territory but now a follower of the church?

Anger was the least of her emotions but she remained calm so to make sure the boy didn't see her wrath out in the open, it would probably make him think he was at fault which he sorely wasn't

"And what did he do?" she asked

"He stopped the fallen from attacking by flicking that sword of his out, scared her off pretty good, not much else after that" informed the brown haired second year, at the teens words Kiba widened his eyes when Issei mentioned 'sword', the blonde released an addible growl at the mere thought causing Koneko to look to him with an expression of well hidden worry, shaking it off the blonde teen ignored the anger and continued to listen carefully

"What happened after he warded off the fallen angel? Did he attack you?" she asked showing her worry for the boy

"No, he didn't attack me at all, all he did was..." issei paused at what he was about to say, call him nerdy but everyone knew that the messengers always got the short end of the receiver's anger

'_Crap! How the hell do I put this? Do I just go and say that your friendly neighborhood exorcist wishes you some constructive criticism about how to handle your servants? Or do I say something else? AW to hell with it'_

Steeling his nerves issei eyed Rias seriously causing the women to blink sheepishly at his sudden change from nervous to determined

"All he did was ask me to relay a message to you" he informed while upholding his expression of seriousness

Rias inclined her head in question "Oh? What kind of message?"

Issei sighed "I'll try to word it like he did" he closed his eyes for a moment as if trying to remember what the man had said before reopening them

"Inform your master that if he/she wishes to keep his/her servant Alive then he/she needs to keep a closer eye on them" he said while reciting the message to the letter

An eerie silence filled the room's previously warm atmosphere with a much tenser one, every person in the room besides Issei held a nearly blank expression

Rias dipped her head down so to hide her eyes from the calming Issei, the boy was about to say something but a simple nudge from Akeno prevented him from saying anything

Looking to the girl Issei's eye brow raised when he saw Akeno's serious expression, sighing to himself the brown haired teen bowed in respect to his master before dismissing himself in favor of calling it a night

All that remained were the four devils being Koneko, Kiba, Akeno, and finally Rias who had no qualms with expressing her anger more openly

"That Exorcist... he may have my gratitude for helping Issei but he has no place in how I handle my servants" Rias' anger was boiling at the audacity of the exorcists words of apparent advice, the sheer level of dishonor she felt with him advising her on the matter was like a tear to her pride

"be that as it may he does have a point, not too long ago he was mistaken for a stray, I'm not surprised they had come back for a second try" Akeno's words rang true in Rias' mind, it was painfully irritating to her that her newest pawn lacked in so many departments, the biggest at the moment was his inability to transport to clients via magic circle leaving him alone on bicycle was risky and with the words of the exorcist running through her mind she now knew her predicament

She had fallen angels roaming the city doing god knows what (Ow) not to mention they were interested with her new pawn, then she had the exorcist who had gone out of his way to assist a devil in need, weather it was out of the goodness of his heart or a level of arrogance she hadn't seen before left her clueless, all she knew was that two of her enemies were within _her _territory

"Whatever their plans are, they are not taking away my new favorite pawn"

**-XxXxXxX-**

**Well then, my first chapter is finished and in record time as well, it may feel like I've covered quite allot of ground but meh, I didn't have much else to work with other then getting him in to the flow of things quickly**

**Anyways as for the story I hope you've cleared your minds because I'm bringing a different story to the table for the DxD plot line, though it may keep its skeleton of a story I'm just doing something that's rare in this universe**

**Keep in mind that due to my limited knowledge of the full story of high school DxD some characters may appear OOC, my apologies, the wiki is useful but well... it's a wiki, shits off on some source**

**Never mind that, since I didn't get a chance to fully describe my characters looks I will list his appearance **

**He has short grey hair that's spiked in the front to have the 'taper' hair style; almost similar to isshin kurosaki's hair style except minus the sheer size of it (you can fit a whole baseball in that)**

**His personal attire is gonna mostly be the classic church outfit, a grey Cassock over coat jacket with two coat tails, its interior is purple as well as the trim, black under clothing followed by black dress shoes he will not have the priest collar as in his words "I feel like its choking me" **

**His urban attire will vary**

**I also feel as though his weapon of choice should be describes just so I can feel I've covered everything, he uses a Zetsurin katana, it's not curved like all the others and is instead completely straight in every sense of the word, it's also completely white in color, both the handle and the scabbard, there are various gold designs all over the handle and the scabbard such as golden cross designs, its back story will be shown in later chapters**

**Now as for Isaac's back story, he will mention it throughout the stories progression so keep an eye out, if you haven't noticed I had put in a good chuck of it regarding Griselda, if you have notice then I'm sure you've figured out some of his 'situation' **

**Also there was a Easter egg within the story, find it for an almost none excitant chuckle at my inability to make a good Easter egg**

**Anyways since I've been beaten senseless with Writers block on my other stories expect some quick updates for now, until then I'll see you in my next chapter**

**PS. Sorry for the shitty summery, I shat the bed on that one**

**Peace ;) **


	2. Honor Among Devils

_Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain –  
and most fools do_

_But it takes character and self-control  
__To be understanding and forgiving_

_~Dale Carnegie~_

**-XxXxXxX-**

The morning to me was, as usual, the most painful part of my day, the dreary feeling you have that compels you to get up is beyond annoying for me and as I B_tch slapped the feeling to the curb I yanked myself from my beds clutches...

Right onto the floors unforgiving surface

Sometimes I hate it when my legs sleep in on me

After forcing the rather embarrassing morning to the back of my mind I got on with my morning routine which consisted of the usual day-to-day tasks for every human but for me the added room in the hotel suite added for a good morning workout

"98...99...100"

A good warm up exercise helps keep one in top condition and with the constant training I had built up as a habit as well as the time Griselda practically drilled the 'less then ethical' exercises into me, I had picked up a rather 'lecherous body' as a select few had commented... behind my back I mind you, they just seem to be less inclined to tone down their squeals of lust towards me

My desire to partake in their actions of lewd behavior is a not on the forefront of my mind as I've been unable to focus on such desires due to my connection to the church. Being caught with a girl there is NOT on my to-do list

Not to mention Griselda's wrath...

I shudder at the thought as I put on the daily clothes a normal person wears, T-shirt, dark blue jeans, runners... yeah know, the normal stuff. My church outfit will have to wait for when I actually need it, the spiritual pressure restriction fabric would not only attract attention but it would help me stick out like a sore thumb to all inhuman beings in the area, if someone had a serious lack of regular spiritual pressure they were either sick or hiding something and I never got sick so I'd have no clue how to act so it wasn't something I find productive, not to mention the appearance I would have on those around me

Might as well put on a sign that says 'HEY! Priest here, come get me!'

My job here was to neutralize a select group of 'less then threatening' fallen angels with as little a impact as possible, I infringed on my superiors orders already with that act of 'heroism' yesterday and I can practically guarantee its gonna come back to bite me in the ass

It hadn't really a cured to me that my previous actions with the Devil yesterday may or may not have caused a curtain degree of danger, in all honesty the actions I did yesterday were simple but the added actions to the simple one was what bugged me

Why In god's name did I ask him to relay a message to his master?

In my perspective I believed my actions were acceptable, I helped a former human adapt to his new life... though it seems strange when I say that when, naturally, I should have exorcised him as soon as I saw him but killing indiscriminately was NOT my true nature and simply killing the boy for simply being the opposite of myself was just arrogant and a complete disregard to ol big guns up stairs

Love your neighbor boys and girls... unless it's a child killer, then it's a different story

**-XxXxXxX-**

An hour later and I found myself strolling the city streets blankly while I organized my thoughts on my pending result of my actions and how I was gonna work around them, the boy, issei hyoudou demonstrated a large degree of power but it was only there for a split second, a power I myself felt familiar with, however I don't have any memory of it which led me to believe it was of a simple impact of power driven instinct

An instinct to challenge him...

Due to my swordsmen habits still burned into my consciousness I practically radiated a need to increase in strength, or boredom relieving. For a year now I had found myself nearly dying with boredom, I needed strength to grow stronger so to help those in need but I also wanted to alleviate some mind numbing boredom and the hyoudou boy gave me a window of hope that I may get just that, however it was for only a few seconds after that I was at a loss, his level of ignorance to his situation was almost painful to witness as he had no idea how many times I could have killed him when we had our little chat yesterday

Again, I'm a nice guy so he's lucky it was me and not one of the more 'fanatical' exorcists

Whoever his master was needed to get the training on before his life ends before his new one can even begin, with great power comes great responsibility _and _a large sum of individuals who want to test their metal against you, myself included albeit loosely and if you don't have the skill then you're a walking test dummy

Shaking my head of such primitive thoughts I passed by a park to my immediate right and for a split second I saw my previous thought topic standing within the parks limits

Issei hyoudou stood a hundred yards from my current position and, much to my relief; he hadn't noticed me in the slightest, though with my 6'3 height I'm amazed he hadn't at all. He was currently conversing with a young blonde girl who looked to be of church decent

Wait a minute...

Obvious Caucasian decent, Blonde hair, green eyes, kind smile and church robes, I've heard of that description before yet the words laid on my tongue but I couldn't say the name correctly, however, I knew for the record I had seen her before and now that I observed her actions I knew for a fact that I'd seen her some time ago yet I didn't fully know.

Don't you just hate that feeling?

Putting my suspicions to the test I dived, figuratively, behind a tree and manoeuvred myself to the two's position, my movement was crisp and precise as the two didn't notice me lean against a tree to Issei's rear, far enough for view hindrance but good enough for amped hearing, magic's skills are a serious help when it came to this kind of field work

Listening in I made out their conversation, though I nearly cringed at the obviously horrible conversation starter

"Hey what'd yeah say? Nice weather am I right?" he asked sheepishly

Yeah, horrible can't even begin to describe how bad that was, not a day and I already wanna deck the guy. If you're gonna hit on a girl ya gotta do it right 'cause if you're gonna come up with lines like then you're gonna have to update your literature reservoir really soon... I could practically hear an old lady saying that

"Um I'm sorry but... I'm a little lost, do you think you can help me out?" the blonde asked

Lucky guy, his horrendous question flew over her head like the wind. The teen looked completely dumb struck with her innocent puppy dog eyes as she glanced to him nervously for an answer to which she received a simple nod in gesture to a 'yes'.

The two soon agreed to walk with one other enticing me to follow with adept magic concealment skills, a simple spell really, a reflective wall of tightly condensed magic would rotate around my form, if he walked to my right the reflective wall would then sit on my right side, it worked wonders in previous crowd eavesdrop jobs I had to undertake.

With the limited time I had with the two I quickly walked up to their left side and followed them briskly, they didn't talk much as they simple walked in comfortable silence however the teen started the conversation and this time it was a reasonable line to use.

"Sooo, are you a tourist?" he asked with a questioning glance

"Oh no not at all, as a matter of fact I was just assigned to the church in this town" she informed causing the teen to adopted a understanding expression

"then that makes sense, I guess that explains your uniform" he said with an understanding tone, though for a second I thought I a saw him glance around as if looking for someone

Hehehe

"I'm so glad I ran into some that is as kind as you, I guess someone is looking out for me" as she finished her words she looked to him with a grateful smile while blushing sweetly to which he responded with light laugher and a gushing expression to follow

His expression changed into mild shock/recognition when he looked to something on her chest, closer inspection showed it was the crucifix around the nun's neck, I never did give this situation my opinion as the idea of a devil assisting a church nun was rather strange but then again, I can't really say as I helped the helper yesterday night

Seems I've met some strange people

His shocked expression changed into worry when the girl just up and ran off towards an injured child a couple yards from them

'_What's she doing?' _I inquired internally, the girls actions and personality were beginning to open a few doors to my empty memories of the girl because as she walked up to the child I could vaguely remember a person I knew a while ago do the same, my eyes widened considerably however when the girls hand was enveloped in a soft green light completely reminiscent to the women in my memories

Its effect clearly demonstrated healing abilities as the scrap on the Childs leg healed in less than a few seconds. The boys expression of pain changed to relief as he said 'thank you' to the nun in gratification, issei translated the words for her to which she responded in kind as the boy ran to his mother

My mind was elsewhere while I continued to follow them to where ever it was they were going. For a while my memory was hazy on the nun's relation to myself but that was immediately dashed when she healed the boys injury a few minutes ago and now the name that was floating around in my head came to me like a long lost memory

Asia Argento, former holy maiden of the Vatican city church, at a young age she was abandoned by her mother for reasons unspecified and was raised by a church a few states from the Vatican, after a years of living within the church Asia developed ungodly abilities for healing as she demonstrated her powers on a terminally ill puppy officially saving its life from deaths clutches, she was then reassigned to the Vatican. A year or so passed by with little to no events until one day I had the honor of attending one of her healing ceremonies when a message came talking about a dying child a few cities away

I was appointed her body guard on this as the Vatican higher ups suspected there might be someone with 'less then holy' intentions and as rumors had been back then, the fallen angels were hunting 'VIPs' far more aggressively then today

It was a good experience to witness a 'miracle' as they had come to call it but I knew it was a sacred gear, its power was very easily distinguishable as the two rings that would appear on her fingers made it known that she was in fact a sacred gear user, but only I seemed to notice

After which I came to befriend the little girl who showed to be of apparent shyness when it came to conversing but she seemed to warm up to me after a few conversations, it was all good for her until one day I returned from one of my exorcisms to find out she had been branded a 'witch' for healing a devil

Everything after that was a blur...

Shaking myself from the warm/cold memory I found that we had arrived at the church I had been observing for the past few days and to say I was shocked would be an understatement, the warm girl who showed to be the kindest of all souls was now forced to work with fallen angels, the worst of the three sides

Damn it all to hell

Due to my lack of equipment and preparedness I found I could not continue to follow the girl as she parted ways with Issei, the former showing a small level of disappointment at not being able to reward him with a cup of tea, Issei seemed to move briskly away from the church area and I knew why, weak devils are highly susceptible to holy auras, he was lucky I didn`t reveal my crucifix when we met or else he`d feel even worse than he did now

I watched the blonde girl walk towards the church before disappearing on the path she was on. If I was more prepared I would have done something but I didn`t exactly know what to do exactly, the fallen angels obviously had something in store for her but its details eluded me and the church wanted her heresy answered which obviously they wanted to 'burn the witch' as they call it

For a bunch of followers of god they sure acted like devils

Obviously the whole 'love your neighbor' never registered

Walking back to my hotel suite at a pace similar to Issei's I began to update my reports on the fallen angel in my head. So far the fallen exhibited a mild threat level but held an elusive motive that I felt I needed to delve into as soon as I was able, they held a reasonably adept level of stray exorcists who had shown to be lurking in the trees when Issei escorted Asia Argento, a former holy maiden to the Vatican, her current responsibilities to the fallen were slim as the only thing I could guess was assistance with the fallen angels themselves as they had zero divinity with the holy due to their fall so she was per-say their healer

'_I should probably report my findings to Archbishop Arndell, I'll need further orders on how to deal with this growing situation, there's far too many stray exorcists involved for this to be a normal disturbance'_

With that thought in mind I dialed the desired number into my phone

**-XxXxXxX-**

"And that's all I have to report" I finished

"_Excellent work Isaac and your orders still stand; eliminate the fallen angels and acquire all relative information on their operations for later debriefing" _Arndell's voice held a commanding edge as I nodded

"Very well archbishop, I'll proceed as instructed" pressing the 'end call' button I dropped my phone back onto its perch on the desk and sighed heavily

My mind remained blank as I skimmed over the day's events, not an hour ago and I already felt like I've made good progress with my mission, it turned out that Asia was the apparently 'defacto leader' which honestly made me chuckle for moment, the VIP that was scheduled to arrive was actually the least of my worries on a objective level, personnel level was different but the fact she was the cause for my worry was actually false

This meant that Raynare was the leader of this marry band of misfits and that made the threat level of the fallen angels drop significantly, four single winged fallen angels and an adept amount of stray exorcists to boot, not a horrible combo but its definitely not the most intimidating

Kicking off the day with this wasn't exactly my most desirable topic but it had to be done, stepping over to the wall of pictures of my targets I studied all of the pictures I had accumulated over my brief stay and tried to make a few hypothetical scenarios, there wasn't much to work with as gaining information the old fashion way was out of the picture due to it being day time, hibernation time for the shut-ins which included the fallen so making a trip to the church was almost asking to just start a fight in broad day light

That's a no-no as the battle would most likely attract the attention of the locals something I had no intention of doing and this left me with the mulling over various scenario's at the forefront of my imagination, a large scale attack from them was practically a stupid idea as the eavesdrop spells I had placed all around the church never pick up chatter on a pending attack, there was a few situations where they had joked about devils, angels, etc with a good sum of malice but other than that they seemed to understand an attack was stupid

The next scenario was a base of operations instalment for the fallen angels in this territory; the fallen had a reasonably sized group to start a good installation of fallen angels but the fact they had placed it here when there was obviously a devil or two here was a serious offence to them and that would usually lead to a good sized bout between the two opposing forces, not to mention a fallen angel had already attempted murder on a devil already so if it was this that the fallen were looking into was again stupid

The sheer audacity the fallen carried with them was surprising, not only did they invade a devils territory they actually attempted to kill one, I'm amazed the devil in charge with the territory hadn't ordered the heads of the fallen yet, lenience is nice but when it comes to the lives of your servants have a little back bone

This also didn't bode well as the fallen angels were in no means ready for war, they thirst for it but they are not in the shape to carry it out and to add to it Azazel was the one who ordered no future attempt to inflict military action towards devils or Angels so that countered this theory

Speaking of which, with that in mind the actions these fallen angels carried out were unorthodox, unpredictable yet predictable, they had a routine but it was instinctual, day time comes; remain unseen, night time comes; patrol area for any stray devils. It was simple but they held zero sign of care towards their actions, like it was just to keep face that they actually had not ill intentions

These fallen angels were rouge no doubt about it, their actions, their structure of command, but the objective still remained to be found, so what was it?

Skimming over my manila folders contents I picked up the 'date of awareness' slip and read it over, turned out the reason the Vatican pick up on the fallen angels trail was a simple mistake made on their part, a few days ago a curtain fedora wearing crow attack an innocent bystander with lethal intentions, the reason the Vatican pick up on this was the residual effect the corrupt light left behind

Seems as though Dohnaseek was a little overcompensating as the sheer amount of light he used made it easy for the bishops back at head quarters to track, and get a load of this, the person he attacked was none other than Issei Hyoudou

Small world...

There was also residual demonic pressure in the area but its level of potency was too low to identify who the caster which left the divine scanners to come up short. Hmmm... So the boy was saved by his master who was smart enough to cover the tracks, clever devil

The devil must be an affectionate one to go out of his/her way to help his/her servant in need

'_Well who ever the devil is I'm not exactly in a rush to find out who they are' _I thought while dismissing the idea of exploring a growing curiosity, I had found myself wondering who's territory I was on but the idea of looking for danger was just a rookie's mistake so if it was gonna happen then it had to come and find me first

**-XxXxXxX-**

Before I even knew it, the days hours passed by me like wind as the time I put in my thesis proved to be a lethal time killer. Boring but productive.

About twenty odd minutes ago I felt a group of magical signatures make themselves present within the city limits a few miles from my current position inside my hotel room. If I wasn't restricted in a devils territory I would have already dealt with the stray devil they were obviously dealing with but because of the mentioned restriction I remained where I was.

Various magical signatures of many different kinds pulsed out both violently as well as subtlety as the battle wage for a mere ten minutes before the remnants of battle ceased

Never really surprises me on how weak stray devils can be, they happen to kill their masters easily enough but then slowly decrease in strength when the deeds down, there's honestly no point in straying from the master as your life just gets worse if you do

Anyhow, the battle between the devils ended and now all I was doing was simply relaxing around lazily as I had no leads what's so ever, any premature actions would jeopardize my objective and how I planned to handle them, so any action now without any further solid leads would most likely end in disaster... or explosions, either the two really, it just depends on how pessimistic you are.

'_Not to mention the situation I'm in with Asia being here puts me in a tight spot' _the worried expression couldn't go unnoticed on my grill as the thought of Asia's situation dawned on me. My life wasn't the warmest but it wasn't cold either so the thought of Asia and how her life was turning out was probably far bleaker then mine, just the thought alone made me sink into a slight degree of sympathetic depression

'_Poor child' _I thought solemnly.

Asia'sprobably the most kind hearted person I knew and she's up shit creek with no paddle or a sense of good direction. I had long since projected myself in assisting her as the thought of acting 'judgment' on her wasn't even in my to-do list and there is no damn way someone's ordering me to kill her so the Vatican can blow that order up their ass for all I care

Asia's good, so she lives. Period

I may appear to be loyal to the Vatican but when it came to the more 'questionable" orders I tended to act on my own terms regardless of the consequences that may follow.

I have in countered my far share of fanatics on a mission from God for their definition of "justice" before and I have been dutifully amazed at how the simple teachings of God can blur the lines between right and wrong to such a degusting level

There is a reason the words 'heretic' and 'Blasphemy' were invented

My inner musing of my past came to an end as the formerly peaceful night became enticed with magical energy again, I expected it to be devil magic as the devil's may becoming active but as it turned out the magic energy was actually human, it held a slightly noticeable degree of holy properties although its holy property was present so was an edge of corruption to its spiritual fabrication

Its casting wasn't offensive as it was defensive and due to its slight relation to the divine any devils in the area wouldn't be able to sense its eruption, and since it had a corrupt vibe to it confirmed it was an action committed by the fallen angels albeit their marry band of exorcists were the casters

With my sword at my side and my priest outfit equipped I left my resident safe house in favor of inspecting the rising magically presences, the first occurrence I ignored as it was devil in nature however this one was giving off divine energy, the word "fallen" passed my mind when I first sensed it leaving me to act in the Vatican's as well as my own best interest

**-With Issei-**

'_If I wanna have my own servants, first I need to become I high ranking devil'_ Issei thought as he peddled towards the intended house on contract, his mind was elsewhere as he pondered his future and how he was gonna become a "harem king" as he enthusiastically called it, however, his future plans had suddenly slowed to a grinding halt at his masters previous words to which caused his expression to drop into a depressed state

_-Flashback-_

'_You're a pawn' said Rias as she walked past the distraught Issei _

'_But I don't wanna be a pawn!' moaned the teen as he sulked at his masters words_

'_Well I'm sorry, but that's what you are' replied Rias as she seemed to be rather optimistic about his situation_

_The memory was left with Issei crying anime tears at his unlucky situation he found himself in_

_-Flashback end-_

'_if I was born into power like Rias I'd have been easy but since I'm just another stupid reborn so I'm gonna have to bust my ass to prove myself... but how the hell am I gonna do that?' _his expression morphed into a dopy expression of confusion as he analyzed how on earth he was gonna make high-class, he couldn't even use the magic circle to form better contracts... or at least prove he was a devil for that matter

He was getting tired of the skeptics

The teen arrived at the rather luxurious apartment building in time to clear his head of any doubts in favor of focusing on making an actual contract this time, giving the door bell a good press issei stood by and waited for what felt like a few minutes with no one answering his ringing

'_Is there anyone home?' _he inquired mentally as he reached for the door knob to see if the house was accessible, to his mild surprise he found the door was actually unlocked leading him into the dark entrance way

'_Huh, its unlocked' _his mental note of surprise was followed by an expression of deep confusion as the notion of leaving ones door open was counterproductive for ones personnel safety but it seemed the residents didn't seem to care

Without any consideration of any other possible scenario's he could encounter Issei strolled into the apartment without any care in the world, he seemed rather hesitant to enter as the notion of entering a strangers home without consent was most likely muscle memory but after announcing his presents a few times at cringe worthy volumes the teen seemed to grow increasingly comfortable at having his presences at least put out there

Stepping into the building Issei's expression morphed from stupidly ignorant to frozen surprise

'_Woah, Its that same feeling again' _his memory brought him back to three events that brought on the same feeling he currently felt, the first was Asia's crucifix, the second was the sight of the church and the last was the silver haired exorcist who out of the three gave off the freakiest vibe he had ever felt.

For a moment the hesitant teen remained stationary as he pondered his next move, his gut ordered him to back away but his more human instinct of curiosity ordered him to press on and see what was going on inside the house

_-Flashback-_

"_Koneko is busy so do you think you can handle one of her request's again?" asked Rias as she leaned against a window_

"_Of course" answered her newest servant _

"_Good, and make sure you bring back a contract this time" she said seriously to which Issei nodded _

"_And whatever you do don't disappoint me" she added with a warning edge_

_Issei's expression dropped as the warning edge in Rias' tone didn't go unnoticed by the now depressed teen._

"_Yeah" was his lethargic answer_

_-Flashback end-_

With his previous hesitance gone and the conversation he had with his master only minutes ago running through his head all doubts and reasonable self preservation vacated his mind in favor of impressing a red headed devil... seems logical

Forcing his instinct to flee to the curb Issei pressed on into the interior of the apartment, a mindful expression adored his face as the possibility of being attack felt ever so present leading him to shut his mouth in favor of silence though he felt his previous blunder of ignorance left his element of surprise useless

His destination was the room to his right a few feet down the hall, the reason he chose that room was because it was out of all the others lit with light; albeit dimly all the other rooms were either closed or pitch black

Issei's instinct to run grew higher and higher as he approached the dimly lit room, he didn't understand why he felt so worried as he believed if there was anyone here who wished to kill him they would have done so as soon as he opened the door but so far no one had made an attempt on his life leaving him to relax a little

_*Sploosh*_

An addible sound of his shoe landing in something wet filled is ears causing him to stop in his path towards the lit room

'_Huh? Floors wet... wait a minute' _Issei's brow was scrunched in determined focus as he inspected the wet substance by touching the bottom of his shoe, the denseness immediately caught his attention causing his expression to rise into a shocked expression

Since his devil powers let him see in the dark better the barely lit hall way showed the teen a trail of blood leading towards the dimly lit room

Swallowing the lump in his throat Issei stood up to his full height and walked slowly towards the room with great amounts of trepidation, he wasn't lost on the whole idea of possible trouble and he himself questioned why he was continuing into the house when it was obviously this was a site of a blood bath and by the freshness the state the blood was in told Issei the would-be-assailant was still on the premise

'_I've gotta stay alert, there's no tell what I'm walking into here' _Issei mentally reminded himself to stay alert to which he pick up a rather dorky looking 'ready' pose that mimicked a variety of shows he watched... lack of training usually has that effect

Peeking into the dimly lit room Issei scanned it to see if anyone was in it before finally walking into the room himself, the room was lit with only two table head laps which illuminated the rooms interior however the laps only shone on the two couches that were parallel with each other everything else was covered in darkness but even that didn't stop Issei's eyes from stopping on the piled corpse in the corner of the room

His reaction at the grotesque sight forced him to recoil back in disgust and fear, disgust as the scent of the rotting corpse finally reached his nose and the sight led his mind to the question that was now looming in the air

_Who would do this?_

He had heard of evil acts of violence before on news reports from all across the world but to actually see something like this had shown him a side of the world he felt he didn't want to know, not to mention the thought that some people get kicks out of doing things like this made him nearly vomit at the sight

'_h-holy shit' _he thought with a trembling figure, for a second the sight of the platinum haired man passed through his head as he recalled what the man had said to him

_The odds of you dying are much higher now, so keep your eyes open_

He had to hand it to the silver haired teen, the advice was bleak but it was a good thought to consider and considering he was his enemy just showed how much his world truly changed. If an enemy went out of his way to give advice then it just goes to show who much danger you are truly in.

Shaking his thoughts clear the brown haired teen noticed a sentence written above the corpse, it wrote 'punish the wicked' for a simple sentence the impact it had on Issei was much greater as it was actually written in the victim's blood

"Words to live by... yes, words to heed by the words of holy man" came a voice to Issei's left, glancing over to the source the teen was greeted by the sight of a grey haired teen who wore priest clothing sitting on the couth facing away from him. For a moment Issei thought he saw a figment of the man he met yesterday but it was dashed as the outfit he wore was much different to the other mans

Then the man turned his head and grinned widely with his tongue hanging out, insanity was the very first impression the man had on Issei as he stood to his full height of 5'11 he continued to grin towards the no terrified teenager

"Well now, you just walked into the wrong house my friend" the white haired boy bowed mockingly towards Issei  
"Freed Sellzen at your service" he introduced before getting up right and dancing joyfully

"And it looks like you're the scared little pussy this holy priest is gonna exorcise" his joyfully and mocking tone filled the room as Issei continued to stare on in fear but it widened when he said 'holy priest'

'_A holy priest? What kind of holy priest would do something like that?!' _Issei mentally questioned as he glanced to the corpse

"Killing unholy scum like that sack of sh_t over there is my job, and it looks like your next on the menu" Issei was sensing an large degree of hostility from Freed as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a sword handle and a custom designed gun, a second later and the sword handle was filled with a blade of white light

'_A holy sword!' _Issei mentally summarized in shock as the level of danger the man possessed grew significantly

"I'm gonna cut your devil ass into itty bitty pieces, but before I do that I'm gonna blow a hole throw you ugly ass face!" after he uttered his promise of pain Freed lunged at Issei who quickly dodged the blind strike easily, for a pervert he prided himself as a nimble individual. He had to doge kendo sticks some how

However, swords are easy to dodge but bullets on the other hand are a different story

"Kablam!" yelled Freed as he fired a round of his gun into Issei's thigh, causing him to fall to a knee in great amounts of pain

"These bullets were blessed by a holy priest so getting hit is the last thing you want... but I hope they taste good, cause their the last thing you're ever gonna taste!" screamed Freed

"Damn you..." growled Issei as he summoned his boosted gear and lunged for the man but it was a feeble attempted

"Too slow" mocked freed as he dodged the lung and slashed Issei's back giving him a massive burst of a pain

"AHHH!" he yelled

"Wow, one simple cut and you drop like a f_cking rock, too bad, for a moment there I was hoping you'd give me a good time but it seems you nothing but a weak devil after all" freed said as he twisted his sword into a reverse grip and prepared for the finishing blow however the both of them froze when they heard and audible scream of horror behind them

Glancing over his shoulder freed noticed Asia was staring at his 'art work' with great amounts of shock which caused him to smile gleefully, Issei on the other hand picked up a shocked expression at seeing the innocent in general

"What the hell are you doing here? Are you finished lifting the barrier?" asked freed, Asia remained unaware of the question and continued to mutter inaudible words like 'why' and 'no' both of which caused freed to pick up an understanding expression

"Oh yeaah, you're a newbie. Well to explain it better this is what we do to those who invoke the presents of devils who then bewitch them with their lies, surely you can understand" Freed's words fell on deaf ears as the distraught Asia turned around and noticed with great amounts of shock that the one who had gotten freed so worked up was the nice man she had the pleasure of meeting

Too bad it was at a time like this...

The blonde nun expression went from shocked to understanding sadness as she deduced what was happening "no... It can't be..." she trailed off as she stared at the wounded Issei

"Asia I..." Issei's response was caught in his throat as the notion of explaining was lost on him, how else do you explain that you've been lying to a sweet girl?

Freed glanced back a forth between the two before he picked up a understanding expression but it was also followed with a mocking smile

"If I didn't know any better I'd say the two of you have history... so what is it?" Freed's expression leaked with curiosity as he turned and directed an 'I want an answer' expression towards Asia but it seemed all he had to do was watch and listen as instead of answering him she continued the "confused damsel" shtick

"Issei why are you here?" asked Asia

"I'm here... because I'm a devil Asia" was Issei's response as Asia shook her head at the man's words, Freed on the other had looked like he was gonna puke, the cliché scene playing in front of him was in his words a massive turn off and so he did what he did best... shattered the mood

"Enough with this! The whole "oh why are you here" routine is getting old! Yes this devil is here, yes its surprising on how you know the little shit, and yes it's a shame his dumbass is about to be butchered but does it look like I care?... F_ck no!" Freed's rant sprung the two out of their mood and now Issei found himself at a blades edge which caused Asia to look on in shock

Issei was preparing to roll to the side but he froze when Asia stepped in front of him shielding him from Freed's wrath "Please stop this father freed, can't we just forgive his sins and let him go?" her pleads only seemed to cause Freed's expression to slouch

"Aw for f_ck sake" he drawled out as he was beginning to considered a possible 'double kill' but dropped it as it would anger his superior's greatly

"Don't you remember your pledge to defeat our enemies, cause I think you may be doing the exact opposite" he said with a calm voice but it held a mocking tone

"It doesn't matter to me! I don't care what he is because there's goodness in him I know it" Asia's voice was high as she tried to explain her reasons "how do you think the father would feel if you just killed him" the mention of 'father' most likely refereeing to god seemed to anger the insane priest a good bit as the previous ounce of tolerance to the girl's insubordination depleted completely

"I have had enough of this bullshit!" after yelling his emotions to the world freed sent a downward strike to Asia who looked shocked at his actions, However, before the strike could actually connect the white blade stopped in mid air

"What the..?" question freed as he stared at the space his blade had stopped

"You know..." began a voice as a figure started to appear between the nun and Freed "Striking a women is rude" as the last bit of the comment finished the three occupants of the room were shocked to see a silver haired man appear to be blocking Freed's light blade with his forearm

Issei's expression was conflicted, the familiarity the voice carried two emotions to rise within him, the first was relief, he had no idea what would have happened if he hadn't appeared but thank hell he did anyway the second emotion however was different because as the first emotion settled so did the feeling of his self esteem drop significantly, the first time he was saved by him he was both ignorant and to relieved to understand the impact the silver haired priest had truly made on his and his masters pride

Turns out it sucks to be saved by a natural enemy... who knew

The blonde haired nun held only a single expression, joy, it was for multiple reasons, the first was being able to see the next day, and the second reason was because the man that had appeared in the nick of time was actually a man she knew quiet well

"Isaac..." she said as if testing the name on her lips

The last one in the room was a different story as the other two were of either positive outlook or personnel pride; Freed on the other hand felt simple anger. The blondes continuous insubordination had already threw him over the edge and now he had been denied the opportunity of killing the little devil stain in the room by an unknown individual who was most likely on his menu of who to cut the f_ck up

However...

The voice he had heard brought on a much different emotion, he hadn't felt this emotion since the time he was branded a heretic by one of the Vatican's most deadly exorcist who had pissed off royally

Fear gripped Freed's being as the voice as well as the face registered on the insane priest and by that time he hadn't been able to prepare the knuckle sandwich that slammed into his face which had sent him flying across the room

**CRASH!**

The sound of glass shattering and picture frames breaking filled the silent room as the silver haired teen dropped his fist to his side and glared at where Freed had landed

Seeing as though the rogue priest had yet to stand up Isaac turned towards the two remaining room occupants

**-Isaac's POV-**

As I turned to see who I had saved I nearly slouched at who I saw instead, when I was on my way towards the house I had predicted the presents of at least two priest's and a magic specialist but what I got was instead two of the Vatican's most wanted one of which had correctly predicted

The reason was simple, the day someone is transferred to a new location it's usually wise to test their worth by sending them on a mundane task, that being a routine exorcism, easy and good for evaluation so the fact Asia was here was a fairly good prediction on my part but the second person I expected to see was most diffidently not the Hyoudou boy, it seems to me he's already stumbled up shit creek a second time

Seems like the supernatural world doesn't like him very much

"Is that you Isaac?" asked Asia as I simply gave her a nod, the Hyoudou kid was surprised to see I had a history with the blonde but I wasn't in the mood to explain

Crossing my arms I gave the kid a look "let me guess... contract?" at my question the teen simply nodded to confirm my suspicion. Yeah, the kids got a shitty luck streak simple contract had led him into a shit storm that almost cost him his life... again

I was preparing to say something but the blonde nun before me lunged out and gripped me tight in a hug she didn't say anything as instead she buried head into my coat, a few audible words of joy could be heard but it was slightly muffled

The expression on my face loosened from its cold disposition as the thought of Asia's problem returned to me with the vengeance but it seemed the other priest who was off his rocker wanted to keep the atmosphere more hostile as the angry grunts and growls became apparent

"Looks like he's not down... hyoudou take care of Asia" I ordered as I turned to face the angry exorcist, Issei cringed in pain but nodded none the less and it seemed Asia had finally gotten the dust out of her ears and finally started to heal the boys leg but since the bullet didn't go through healing Issei was gonna take longer than expected

I had contemplated the idea of simply killing this priest that I had the displeasure of knowing but the thought of using him for info came to my mind so I left my sheathed sword in my belt loop, so for right now I was gonna give this boy a hurting so bad his moms gonna wish she kept her legs closed

"Ahh! Out of all the piece of shit I had to run into and it had to be you" growled Freed as he massaged his jaw bone

"Speaking of pieces of sh_t I happen to have found the biggest one yet" I retorted causing Freed's expression to morph to one of rage. Insults weren't my strongest suit as I usually let my actions do the talking but when it came to handling the biggest stain I had ever run into in my time with the Vatican, temper was the biggest way to throw loose cannons like him over the edge

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up and let me kill you!" he yelled unintelligently, his anger was starting to look worse than some more infamous villains who had delved into insanity, even the Joker would stand back a go "ok, chill out"

Freed lunged at me with great determination but his blatant disregard for personnel safety let me stop his mindless thrust with my left hand, as my action finally registered on his mind Freed quickly pointed his hand cannon to my face but quick instinct led me to grab at the guns slider which in the end kept his gun from firing

With both of his hands at bay I chose to knee him directly into his solar plexus officially knocking all the air from his lungs. As the struggling priest fought for air I began to disarm his more dangerous weapon which was the hand cannon he was holding in his left hand

Keeping my grip on the guns barrel I directed the gun to point in an awkward angle which caused the Priest's pointer finger to dislocate this caused the man to scream at the sudden pain of his finger hyper extending the wrong way, once I knew his trigger finger wasn't capable of pulling any triggers any time soon I slide the gun from his grip and spun it into my a comfortable grip in my right hand

Once the weapon was secure in my grasp I directed a shot to his right hand

**BANG!**

The bullet tore through his hand like paper rendering him of most of his fingers and leaving him with only his thumb and pinky finger, his palm was gone so it looked rather disturbing

"Holy shit" I heard Issei mutter but I instead kept my attention on the enraged priest who was completely harmless to me at this point but just to reassure he wasn't going anywhere I put a bullet into his leg

**BANG!**

"AHH F_ck!" he yelled as he fell to the cold hard floor

Before I could continue on my chosen path the room was bathed in the light of a red magic circle which had caused me to stop in my tracks in favor of seeing who the intruders were but then again it was also a personnel curiosity as I knew perfectly well what was coming

'_Looks like I failed on keeping my business here low key... oh well' _I internalized dismissively

The first person to step out of the circle was a blonde boy who wore a white dress shirt and dark colored dress pants; a modern day sword sheath was located on his waist which held a one handed sword of undistinguishable color

"Kiba" called out issei which had inadvertently given me his name

"Hey Issei, thought you could use the backup" replied the blonde teen

"Oh gross, talk about a nasty mess" came a female voice, the women who had said that had black hair held in a pony tail, she also wore a school uniform of some kind but it had fallen over my head as I had no time to study pointless things

"An exorcist" said an emotionless white haired girl no taller than a first year high school student, she to wore a school uniform

Issei look onto his friends with sheepish joy "You guys came" he said

I had wanted to keep the situation from rising to a hostile level but the Priest I had neutralized seemed to still have a sense of sarcasm in his being

"Heheh looks like you and I both are screwed _buddy_" he said as he smiled to me evilly, my reply was a foot to his leg wound to which caused him to cringe away his sarcasm

"_Don't_ call me that" I retorted with heavy amounts of venom

After silencing the mad man I turned to the three devils and waited for them to say anything.

My wait was short lived as a fourth person emerged from within the magic circle, this person held a high degree of dignity in her stature as red hair as crimson as it gets came into view. The shade rang a few bells but it didn't really faze me as much as the angry expression on her face

'_Looks like I finally get to meet the master of the hyoudou boy' _I said internally

And by the looks of it, the master of the aforementioned devil was a red headed chick. I was just glad it was a chick as they were more known to care for their servants as the male devils seem to be on a high ego trip, they usually care less about their servants

"President" called out the injured devil

The red head turned towards Issei and kneeled to him a soft and regretful expression on her face

"Don't worry I'm here" she reassured Issei who in return dropped his head

"Thanks a lot, I'm sorry I let you down again" his apology was left on deaf ears as instead of accepting his apology the red head gripped the side of his head and gazed softly into his eyes

"Look how hurt you are Issei. I'm the one who should be apologizing; I had sent you into this without knowing only until recently" she said with regret

Behind me I heard Freed growl dangerously before he started to yell profanities towards the blonde nun

"You fucking Bitch!—

**STOMP!**

I knew the man would express his displeasure towards Asia as she was the one who was erecting the barrier while Freed did the wet work and because of her failure to keep it up I was able to pin point the location as well as infiltrate it easily and this all led to Freed's current state of a broken left finger and a completely disfigured right hand, all I knew was his sword swinging days were over and his gun was practically mine at this points

All of this led to his final act of defiance as the simple act of yelling his displeasure was all he could do at this point but since I'm was a man who didn't tolerate such language at this time of day I gave him an extremely excruciating stomp to his wounded leg and by the slight whimpers he gave off I may have crush a vein or I pushed the bullet closer to his femur bone

The red head as well as the devils directed their attention towards the source of the yelling and with great shock noticed the man's right hand and left finger as well as the large amount of blood pooling under his left leg

After they took in the injured mans state they looked to me and quickly picked up a confused expression which probably seemed natural as the sight of two exorcists, one injured and another furthering his injury seemed to confuse them but it all faded when they put two and two together

"Silver hair, affiliation to the church... you must be my servants savior" her thankful tone was laced with sarcasm so I had every right to look suspicious of her next actions

"How vary observant of you" I relied with a calm tone

The red head stood up to her full height and looked to me with an ounce of smugness "As much as I am great full of you actions the other day, I find you attitude towards my ways of overseeing my servants to be quite arrogant" she said with a closing portion of hostility

"and I can see now my previous words were a tad bit hasty" I replied causing her to stop for a second

"what do you mean by that?" she question with genuine surprise

"the minute I meant the Hyoudou boy I was under the assumption his master was far less then considerate of his safety but now I see I was wrong" I said with a smile "You do care for him"

"if you trying to get into her pants, you'll have to try harder than that _Isaac_" freed said with heavy amounts of vulgarity, I responded with a different method then a stomp

**BANG!**

"AAHHH!" he yelled as the bullet I put into his shoulder was anything less than painful

"keep the vulgarity to yourself _heretic_ or the next thing I shoot will be your tongue" I growled as he gripped his wounded shoulder, glancing to the devils I gave them an apologetic look

"I deeply apologize for my former associate's words, I'll have you know after I'm done with him his disposal will be guaranteed" I said to the devils

"The priest aside, I want to know what you're objectives are?" asked the red head

"My mission is simple" I started as I then kneeled to Freed and pointed to him "this little guy here is connect to a curtain fallen angel group I've been ordered to silence and after the crows are clipped I'm out... is that acceptable?" I informed but I instead finished with a question of permission

If the answer to my question was 'no, leave this city' then I would start to bargain a peace treaty between the two of use as my mission was to eliminate the fallen no matter the cost and working with devils wouldn't be the first time I've teamed up with the less then human side of the world

And to be honest I had no problem with working a long side them but I still wanted to remain disconnected from them, the mission came first and I was gonna get it down

"I believe actions against the other side was prohibited, what makes you curtain this isn't a simple group of fallen angels gallivanting in my territory?" asked the red head

I stared at her for a moment before I simple smiled to her "I have already told you enough, any more conversation and I'd be disobeying my superior's in the church by giving you classified information" I informed to which the red head nodded

"And your just a good little soldier aren't you?" came an angry voice, further investigation on who had spoken led my sight to fall on the blonde sword wielder who's angry expression didn't go unnoticed

"was that comment necessary?" I asked calmly as I looked to him impassively

"I believe it was" he replied with growing anger

"that's enough!" ordered the red head "Yuuto, cease this pointless banter immediately" at the red heads words the boy named _Yuuto Kiba _glared at me angrily before he stepped off his high horse and calmed down

"I apologize for my knights words, he's—

"Don't worry about it" I quickly cut her off with a dismissive wave, I didn't know what was up the blondes ass but I wasn't really in the situation to be prodding a life I didn't really have time for

The Red headed devil nodded slowly at my rather rude interruption but she otherwise left it to dry and instead opted to regroup with her peerage

"I'll leave you to your work as thanks in assisting my servant the other day, but after your business is done you are to leave this city immediately" the red heads words rang in my ears as I smiled to her

"you have my word" was my reassuring reply and in all honesty I wasn't exactly planning on staying here long either, this rogue Priest here was a nice source of Intel I had and weather the stain liked it or not he was gonna answer every question truthfully and that would tell me all I needed to know about my little fallen friends in the abandon church

"Isaac? Was it?" called out Issei as he stood up and looked to me with a look of gratitude, I released a sigh of frustration when I heard my name being uttered again and I also relented the will to snap the boy's wind pipe in favor of keeping a cool air with the native devils

With great effort I confirmed the boy's suspicion with a forced 'yes'

"then I want to thank you Isaac" he said with a low bow, for a second I examined the sight of a devil bowing before me, I mean seeing something like that wasn't exactly imaginable for a guy like me, I hadn't really faced off against the devils as much as I tussled with the fallen angels but the few times I did their pride was the biggest aspect in their will to win, god forbid they bow to a servant of god

Guess Issei was ignorant to the meaning of his actions as the cringe that appeared on his master's face was quite evident

"Honestly kid..." I started as he lifted his head to look to me "thanking me isn't what you should be doing" I said as he adopted a confused expression

"What do you mean?" he asked

I looked off into space for a second before I tapped my chin with my pointer finger "first time maybe, but this time is different, meaning I hadn't a clue who I was saving, all I knew was a friend of mine was here and I moved in to assist her, you just happened to be here by sheer coincidence" I revealed.

Issei looked like he didn't know whether to take that as a humble turn down to his gratitude or a cold shrug to it and as such he simply looked to me with a continued expression of confusion

The red head however was able to deduce the comment "so you're saying you had no intentions on saving him?" she asked as the devils narrowed their eyes at me

"Nope" I replied simply making Issei look to me with slight ounces of fear and the others to narrow their eyes feather, well, the blonde's eyes narrowed, the black haired chick just smiled and the white haired girl simply stared at me emotionlessly

"Then why not just end him while you had the chance? Why let a devil of all people live?" she pressed

At her words I closed my eyes and crossed my arms "devils ARE my enemy, but I acknowledge them as such when they make themselves out to be my enemy" I said calmly

Turing my sight from the slightly shocked red head I looked to Issei "Do you wish to attack me?" I asked him suddenly making him reel back a second

"W-what!?" he gasped with a stutter to which I simply kept my previous expecting gaze

"I-I don't think I would" he replied

At his answer I smirked slightly "Good, then I'm not your enemy" I exclaimed as I shifted my sight to the other devils "same goes for you... You... You and you" I said while pointing to them individually

"That's... odd for a follower of the church don't you think?" asked the black haired devil as she smiled to me

"It's not the first time I've heard that" I replied while lightly kicking the unconscious Freed in order to make sure he doesn't stroll into the fire

"Anyways it was nice to meet you all but I've got a dying rogue to question" I said while concluding the little interrogation the devils had put me through

"Likewise... I hope you get what you've came for" said the red head as she stepped to the back of the room and a red magic circle appeared under her, the other devils followed after her while Issei looked to Asia with worry

"Don't worry about her kid, I'll take care of her" I reassured him, Issei picked up an acknowledging expression before nodding to me in thanks

A few second later and the red light faded allowing me to see that the devils have left the building

_*sigh*_

I released a sigh of relief at my rather close encounter with the devil fraction in charge of this city but it was mostly due to its cleanly executed negotiations with the cities resident high class devil, I had expected a show down with them as most if not all devil masters who are in charge of peerages usually take intruders into their territory as acts of war and assume to attack on sight

Thank god she was actually reasonable

"Isaac?" asked a voice I knew to be Asia's

"Hmm?" I hummed in question

"What are you going to do to him?" she asked as she pointed to the groaning Freed Sellzen

When it came to answering questions to someone who most definitely hates killing I had found myself at a hairs breathe of a disadvantage

So I downright ignored it

"Do you think you can heal him...? But only a little bit though" I asked as she nodded and pressed he green rings out to Freed's form

At her actions a green glow appeared all around the man's form and when it appeared a select few of the wounds on his form closed up, the only wounds that remained were the three bullet wounds, the hand was completely destroyed and his shoulder was most likely dislocated and his thigh looked worse for wear

"That's god enough Asia" I said but she hesitated in her actions

"But he's still injured I can't stop now" she replied with a look of distress

'_She actually wants to save him' _ I thought with surprise but I actually expected this. In response to her words I placed my hands on hers in order to ease her powers down to the point where she reluctantly stopped healing him all together

"I know you wish to save lives but _he _doesn't deserve your kindness" I said to her gently

"In the mean time can you wait outside in the hall way? Our discussion won't be civil" my request was gentle and warm as the nun quietly nodded and stood up to leave

"Thank you" I said expressing my gratification for her cooperation, once Asia had left I held out my finger and drew a circle in the air, once it was complete I then continued to draw various symbols within the circles diameter, after I had completed the aerial drawing the symbol I had drawn glowed a bright white

"Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!" commanded as the glowing seal I had drawn flashed before it appeared on the rooms door, now all sound from the inside will not make it to the outside

"Now then..." I started as I turned towards the now waking Freed Sellzen "I hear you've got information about a group of fallen angels, can you consider sharing?" I asked as Freed quickly shot me an angry glare to my rather friendly request

"Go to hell!" well the defiance starts with the same premise and freed was going with the most generic one there was, oh well, I guess the subtle approach wasn't going to work

Kinda figured

Freed's expression changed from angry—defiant to terrified as I shifted to my 'business' mode which would most likely consist of a colder then arctic eyes that held zero emotion, no smile what so ever, and hidden promise of pain that sparked behind my now ice cold blue eyes

The rebellious ones were always the most troublesome...

**-With Issei-**

It had been a good hour since the devils had returned from the house Issei had found trouble in and the devils could help but question the man they now knew as _Isaac. _All of the devils including Rias were dumbstruck at the morals the exorcist followed

'_What kind of holy man considers a devil a neutral threat?" _that question was the only thing Rias could think about as she finished the shower she had started, she had never heard of such an incident where the church didn't attack devils the minute they made eye contact, yet this man spoke to them calmly and coolly as a fellow man would his neighborbut anyone could feel the thin layer of readiness behind the man's facade as if even the most subtle attack would set his nonlethal motives to downright prejudice

For a moment Rias studied the name that the rogue priest had muttered, his first name was Isaac, most people from western countries spoke on first name bases like it was normal so that much was curtain, but her answer would mostly lye with his last name but she didn't know what that was

'_seems I have to do some digging if I want the answer' _the motion of searching her memory would most likely consume a few weeks of her life as his last name wasn't ever mention at the young devil meetings she had attended a couple months ago, maybe a few times but it wasn't a completely focus subject as the topics of other races weren't at the forefront of the next generations mind

Rias sighed for the hundredth time that shower, ever since she had resurrected the boy, problems had become to arise and some of them threatened her door step thankfully she had Isaacs word he had no intention of acting towards her at all but he still gave her the chills and _that _said something about him

She had stood before powerful beings before, her brother being a prime example, the man that was Lucifer radiated power like an ocean and it had often times sent large chills down her spine on multiple occasions so for Isaac to make her feel the tingly sensation that order her primal instincts to flee wasn't lost on her, however, after spending so much time with her clingy brother had somewhat given her an immunity to its effect but Isaac still caused her to feel terrified

Rias classified her fear as the holy divinity he carried was a buffer to her overwhelming power tolerance

Turing off the shower Rias exited with a towel wrapped around her entire body, she didn't miss the look of disappointment on her new pawns face but right at this time she hadn't the patience to tease the boy

After getting on a set of clean clothes and over hearing her queen explain a few things about exorcists and stray exorcist the red head plopped down on her desk

"President?" questioned her new pawn to which caused the red headed devil to be ripped from her inner musing

"Yes?" she asked while looking to Issei, she was mildly surprised to see him have an angered expression but she hadn't an idea as to why he was angry

"Is it true that Asia is connected to those fallen douches?' he asked with a sudden jolt of profanity

"Yes, as much as it may bother you issei she's one of them so for your safety stay away from her" advised Rias, Issei grunted before he trudged out of the room with a look of conceal anger

Rias hadn't anticipated a reaction like that and it showed on her features, Akeno, her second in command sighed before she stood up and walked to the desk Rias had seated herself

"It appears he didn't take my advice well" she said while looking to the door Issei had left through

"And that would probably be about the fallen angels, am I right?" asked Rias causing Akeno to nodded slowly, a look of confusion on her face

"Yes, but I'm surprised you didn't here" she said with surprise, at her words Rias leaned on one of her arms before sighing

"I feel the fallen angels aren't the bigger problem here, so dealing with them isn't at the fore front of my mind, what has truly peeked my interest is that friendly exorcist we had the pleasure of meeting" Rias heard an audible snort from her knight but left that topic alone and instead focused on her conversation with her queen

"His goals are obviously classified to us so I can only assume it's highly important to the church but I still don't know why he's after this group of fallen angels, so far they've only attack my new pawn on several occasions, If its anyone's problem its mine but to send a redacted church exorcist to deal with them seems kind of overkill" Akeno nodded with full agreement to her masters words, she herself had guessed the man was high in the chain of command and, like Rias, she had her suspicions

"What do you want us to do?" asked Kiba who looked a little too eager to engage the unknown priest

"What I'd like you to do Kiba is calm yourself, reckless behaviour is unbecoming of a knight from the house of Gremory" commanded Rias as she finally had the time to calm her knight

Kiba's eyes shifted to surprise for a second before they returned to normal "Yes president" he answered with a submissive expression

"Now, as for any action taken against the man we know as Isaac is strictly prohibited, he himself had made it abundantly clear that any violent action towards him would be answered with equal intentions" Rias didn't like doing this as she herself had her pride and going along with the word of a priest felt almost painful to her but she had combated that emotion with reasonable thought

He had reasonable motives that coordinated with the ideals of both sides, on many occasions her brother had advised her that if at all possible she should avoid all action against those from the church unless they themselves act against her, and with all that stored in her mind Rias opened her musing eyes to look commandingly to her peerage

"Am I understood?" she finished with a serious edge in her voice

"Hai!" the resounding response of agreement was said by all her members as both Rias's rook and knight vacated the room respectfully leaving bother her and her queen alone

"Seems as though things are getting interesting" groaned Rias as she rubbed her head tiredly

"Well in that case would you like some tea Rias?" asked her queen with a smile

"That would be nice, thank you Akeno" at her words the black haired queen bowed politely before leaving to make up the hot nightly beverage which had left Rias to do what she had wanted to do

Opening a drawer in her desk the Crimson princess of ruin retrieved a cell phone; flipping the royal styled phone on Rias dialed a number before pressing the phone to her ear

"_Sona Sitri speaking" _answered a female

"Hello Sona, sorry for calling so late but I'd like to request a favor from you" from the other side of the line Rias could practically feel the brow raise on her old friends face at her odd request

"_And what would this request be?"_ she asked, the voice distortion phones produced didn't hide the level of seriousness Rias' friend always had

"Something's stricken my attention and I'd like to find out all I can about it" Sona sighed from the other side of the line, she knew that if Rias found something that interested her to the point of getting her involved usually had to do with their shared territory

"_I'm gonna need more information than just your inflated interest Rias"_ Sona's snarky/serious reply would usually cause some kind of reaction from the red head but instead all she got was nothing

"I'll need the name of a Vatican Priest, his first name is Isaac but his last name is unknown which is where you come in, I would highly appreciate it if you helped me out"

"_What about you?" _

"I've got a new pawn with power issues and a group of fallen angels to watch out for, my hands are tied which is why I'm asking for your assistance"

"_You wouldn't be up for a more physical assistance would you?" _

"No, from what I've gathered these fallen ones aren't as strong so your assistance is appreciated but I'll pass on your offer"

"_Mmm, so the fallen are making moves?" _

"Yes, but they seem more interested in my new pawn then the territory"

"_That new boy you resurrected, is turning out to be what you expected?"_

A moment went by as the words Sona had spoken reached Rias' ears, the boy that she resurrected did show promise but with his progressive levels so low she had classified him as a work in progress, his adaptation to his new life was lack luster and if it wasn't for the silver haired priests morals, issei would have been killed days ago, however, his spirit for devil hood was obviously high as his perverted tendencies would have made him notorious even in the underworld not to mention his drive that shown behind his eyes didn't go unmissed by her, so with all the more apparent pros and cons ducking it out in her head the answer she was looking for was complicated

More or less

"I can't answer that question just yet Sona"

"_I see... Anyways, I'll keep in touch with what I find, stay safe Rias" _

"You too Sona" with the conversation closed Rias pressed the 'end call' button and placed her Gremory house cell phone down on her desk

'_Now only time will tell me who I'm dealing with' _with her mind set Rias filed away her thoughts on the mysterious priest before she addressed her queen who had been waiting by the door

**-XxXxXxX-**

**A/N: holly crap did this take far longer than I had wished it to be, my apologies, family vacations and the demanding job I'm working has drained me a good sum but alas, the drive I have for this story is high as all I've been finding in the DxD fanfiction section is all resurrection stories (it's getting over used) and for all the skeptics out there, no, my character will not be resurrected into ****devil**** hood as like I said before it getting way to over used**

**So expect a good change of pace in this story**

**Anyways, I hope this chapter was enjoyable as it was fun to write (Minus the days I was passed out on my bed)**

**Peace ;)**


	3. Red Star Rising

"_The more you know of the world around you..._

_The __bleaker__ it gets,_

_Only the __**strong**__ embrace it"_

**-XxXxXxX-**

Interrogation...

The simple yet disgusting act of using ones pain in order to reach conclusions and to grasp answers that the victim may or may withholding, the only thing needed to carry out this act of violence is to have a nerve of steel or a complete disregard of human life and a sheer will to reach whatever goal you are looking to achieve.

I hadn't thought of my side of the action but all I knew was that it could get the job done, never really heard of someone who could survive an interrogation and walk from it as if it was a normal thing. Your vary life hangs in the interrogators hands and that all added up to his level of imagination

Unfortunately for Freed I happen to be quite imaginative

Getting through Freed's almost limitless vocabulary of cuss words and provocative insults of my relationship with Asia was a chore but he otherwise 'spit out' what he had been 'chewing'.

After I had what I needed I disposed of Freed, no amount of therapy could rehabilitate him so I deemed him honorable enough for a bullet to the brain, the history I had about the man wasn't anything I hadn't seen before

Corruption follows power, that's a fact, if you don't have a will of iron when you achieve the former then you cannot hope to remain yourself when the latter gets a hold of you, Freed was the epitome of that. When he was young he had been an exceptional exorcist but it wasn't until his heresy that his exceptional exorcist skills were actual just pure hatred to all things none human or those he deems inhuman

He had a twisted sense of justice, it was so bad the word 'justice' couldn't even relate to his morals, all he did was kill cause he liked it, that was all, for almost 4 years he had been a rogue exorcist, fighting for odds and ends and leaping from fallen brigade to fallen brigade all for the simple satisfaction of murdering the next unlucky sob who found himself on the other end of Freed's barrel

I couldn't care less with his passing...

"Good riddance to bad rubbish" my last remark to the corpse of freed Sellzen fell on deaf ears as my numbed emotions began to return, I felt my eyes brighten from their previous 'exorcism' mode of icy cold blue to moderately warm blue, my muscles relaxed as the previous event vacated from my mind.

On a more beneficial term, I had acquired a reasonable sum of information regarding the resident fallen angels, all I could say was 'thank god the sound barrier was up' because what Freed had said related to her and her sacred gear and by the sound of things her life wasn't at all important to the fallen angels cause as it turns out the only reason she was actually aloud to join the fallen angels was because she had a sacred gear they wished to extract from her, and I for one didn't like to hear it, there are things in this world that I hate the most and one of them was the act of disregarding a life's value

Just hearing it made me growl to myself lowly, as the world turns more innocent blood is spilt by the wicked greed of the unholy, my anger was expected, I had witnessed so many atrocities that I had grown a boiling hatred towards unjust acts

Freed's usefulness was appreciated, for only a second, as he had explained that Raynare, the single winged bandage fan, was actually their leader

My shoulders fell as I heard that but I couldn't help but giggle to myself, the peace treaty the three worlds had created was becoming rather lenient, and like I said before, even the lowest ranking individuals were making moves now but that didn't matter to me, she as well as her friends **will** be purified

It was just gonna be easier than the rest...

'_Now that I've gotten some info I'll need to insure Asia's safety before I move onto the fallen angels'_

I had to make sure the fallen angels did not get their hands on Asia, if they did not only would they acquire a sacred gear but they would also take the life of an innocent girl, which wasn't something I let happen this far up the road

For a moment I felt a sense of nostalgia as the thought of saving Asia, a girl, seemed to remind me of my first solo vampire hunt

'_Fight the inner cliché Isaac, fight it!' _I scolded myself internally but my expression of carelessness washed away as the other side of the door showed Asia wasn't there

Damn it...

It always seemed to be the case, learn something of an individual who's close by and they suddenly vanish

Figures...

Seems my cocky attitude called upon karma who had then taken the liberty to show me just how much of a b*tch she can be. This was gonna take a while, Asia had eluded the Vatican for a whole year and even we had to admit she was good at disappearing because all through out that year she hadn't turned up once

The best chance of finding her was to move now before she could settle some where

**-The next day/ Issei's house-**

For the most part of morning Issei remained within his Room, the room's interior wasn't lit as the morning sunshine had helped in illuminating most of the room; the only thing that hadn't been lit up by the sun's rays was Issei's distant expression.

Nothing was said or even heard as the almost completely silent room gave the impression the teen was dead but a sudden intake of breathe showed he was in fact alive but completely distant from his usual energetic self.

Placing his wrist over his left eye Issei reviewed the events of the week he had the pleasure and displeasure of being a part of, the positive was being able to join the occult research club which happened to be the most popular club in the entire school

Why? You may ask

When it came to Kouh academy one my fall upon the knowledge of it's previously 'all girls' status and thus they would understand why the schools occupants were mostly females and a small few being males, with this known any man with a brain and a functioning sex drive would completely understand why being a part of a club that not only involved the school's mascot, that being Koneko Toujou- the schools lolicon, but the two hottest girls on all of campus

Rias Gremory and Akeno Himejima

It's widely known to almost all of the school, mostly the boys, that the two 'Onee-sama's' were probably the hottest girls any man had ever had the pleasure of seeing, not only did they act like the older sister figure but they had it down to that last curve, the females a part of the school were practically their body guards because it seemed every man in the school were sexual deviants, going at great lengths to be near the resident 'Onee-sama's' to almost completely disregard their shame entirely

And Issei was one of them...

Aside from being seen as perversity personified Issei had become the luckiest man alive when a formerly trusted female of his turned out to be the person to kick start his life, that being through his stomach

Literally...

In a seemingly dark part of his life issei had found a miracle which happened to take the form of the hottest girl he had ever known, her name was Rias Gremory, the days that followed were almost a blur to the pervert as the day with Raynare seemed almost like a dream, the word fallen angel and devil were still fantasy to him but Rias had changed that thought quick

Being resurrected felt almost normal but being told the two hottest girls you had ever seen were actually devils was probably one of the biggest shocks issei had ever experienced in his life

And without even realising it, issei had turned up a member of the occult research club which he had learnt was only a scam, as the club title was only a mirage to obstruct the truth of the clubs true identity

A peerage of devils

The day after his turning came by quickly and the days that followed felt almost peaceful, that is, until he finally Encountered a life threatening situation involving a voluptuous fallen angel, Issei's primary brain had remembered her rage while his 'second' brain only remembered the exposed breasts but what he truly remembered was the silver haired man he had the... um? Displeasure? Or was it pleasure?

It didn't really matter if it was a sign of luck or a bad luck as the after effects of meeting the priest were negative and positive, positive for being alive, negative for being inadvertently insulted by the priest's kindness

It didn't take long for Akeno to explain why Rias was so upset of that day's events, as the easy thought of a Priest—assisting a devil kinda explained it

He had learned that, to a devil his pride meant everything and to have it tarnished meant great infringement on not only him but his masters reputation, he had be politely asked to keep the priest's actions to himself as if anyone who learned of it would most likely never let it go

To issei, Akeno's polite request sounded as if Rias had a rivalry with someone but he kept it to himself, at the time he felt it was his fault but Akeno had dowsed that outlook quickly, saying that he wasn't fully aware of devil workings completely yet and mistakes were actually expected, that however didn't really bode well with him as making an impression was his biggest goal as of that moment

Deeper thought into his unknown silver friend led Issei to believe the man's words were in fact true  
and now that he was a devil death was much closer to him then it was when he was human

He couldn't agree more

The following days of his new life had showed him what would happen if he became a stray devil, not a good sight, what his true enemies were and much like Isaac's words, how bleak his world had become

Issei had been living in a world of ignorance and now that he had the veil lifted off his head he could now see life's true face, the insane Priest he had met had proven the life inside the supernatural was in fact a dangerous one as he had previously thought contracts were simple, the sight of the disembowelled man that was his contractor had proved his innocent thought false

Before His mind could wonder deeper into the abyss that was his mind a knock on the door brought him out of its tight grip

"Issei! Time to get up!" yelled his mother's voice

"He's probably doing ecchi stuff" muttered his dad but with his new hearing it was easy to hear

With an audible grunt of effort Issei flipped out of bed, his eyes had returned to the normal shade of brown but his distant look remained

As he was getting dressed for his day at the academy the thought of his parents passed his mind, he hadn't thought of it but his parents were completely unaware of how much danger their son was in, but to be honest Issei felt more fearful of them as two thoughts passed him

What would they do if they learned of the real world?

And what would they do of him IF they learned of his turning?

Realising his thoughts had led off to far Issei quickly dropped his train of thought, he had a second chance at life and it was to serve a drop dead gorgeous women whom he had the pleasure of meeting

What more could a hormonal teenager ask for?

**-With Isaac-**

At this point in time I could probably rule out finding Asia a complete failure as the woman had practically vanished, some part of me worried but seeing as how I couldn't find her the fallen weren't either

Sighing for the hundredth time that night/day I stopped my search by landing on a roof near the outskirts of the city, for the complete whole of the night I had searched high and low for her, I even wondered about Kyoto for an hour or so in hopes of seeing her hop aboard a train out of the city but as it turned out my expectations were actually for the those who were inclined to understand the train system, Asia had spent most of her life in a church eating spaghetti and soup, seeing her ride a train would make me believe she had educated herself far too quickly for someone so innocent

And a little ditzy...

'_my biggest question so far is how I'm not able to spot a blonde foreigner in a city like this' _my frustrated question had actually turned my sour attitude to a chuckling one and for a good silent minute I noticed the people below me look around in confusion as my chuckles seemed to become noticed by them

_Better get of the damn roof then Isaac_

Seeing a spot in an alley way unoccupied I jumped down and landed gracefully, once I had landed a white magic circle appeared under my feet and raised up over my head, this had changed my priest attire to my urban attire I had worn yesterday, my sword that was on my hip had also vanished leaving me weaponless but only to those who were ignorant to the spiritual realm, a distinct weight could be felt on my hip as well as the air around it looked distorted but to normal people my invisible sword wouldn't be noticed in the least

After adjusting my clothing so it covered most of my blade I stepped out from my spot in the alley and began to walk back to my hotel suit which was almost haft way across the entire city so I had time... allot of it, with my destination in mind I let my mind wonder as my legs carried me through the crowds of early birds

Last night's events were a good turn for my operation, I had not only managed to close a dark chapter of the Vatican's past away but I had obtained information on my targets, all that was needed was Asia's safety and the fallen clipped from this city and I would be finished here, it was pretty much the last chapter of this particular story but I felt I couldn't let my cockiness blind my professional exterior

Never pop the smoke until the fat lady sings, as they say

Since all of my mental files of my primary objective were safely organized my mind fell upon the blonde teen boy I had met along with the red headed devil master of this city, his attitude towards me was unknown but I could sense a level of distaste towards my affliction with the church

His name also rang a bell but I couldn't place its relation, I had heard the name sometime ago in a casualty list a few years back but I had read so many of those I had forgotten which one, I was surprised I remembered this much

I had read the name 'Yuuto Kiba' off of a casualty list long ago but I knew neither the status of his condition or his relation to any of the past events I had been a part of, the only other thing I knew was he hated my affliction to the church and that I had read his name somewhere before

'_I really hate it when my memory gets spotty... Guess I'll need to look into it when I finish my business here' _I felt there was something very important related to the name but like before, memories can be a pain and research needed to be taken before it'll come careening back at me

A few hours passed by at an audible pace, I had wished to return to my hotel suit but since I had been so cooped up for the past few days I chose to spend the day out for two reasons, the first was for the previously stated reason, the second was to increase my chances of running into Asia if there was ever a chance of doing so but hey, it was a high gamble might as well roll the dice

After a few hours of wondering the city limits from high population to low I felt the ever pressing desire to eat, glancing up at the sun I distinguished the time was mid day or early evening, so with that thought in mind I dipped into a cafe' near the shopping district without even looking

Upon entering the random cafe' I breathed in the air of hot coffee and the last remnants of the lunch servings before I noticed an open booth to my left, seeing as though it was a 'seat yourself' set up I picked me a window seat

The dinner was normal, white interior with brown wood designs all around, I had expected it to be a random one but I guess my choice was actual a rather good one, last time I 'dipped' into a random story for food I had found myself welcomed by a female clerk who had a disturbed expression on her face, didn't take me long to learn that I had dipped into a lingerie store

Explaining that to Griselda was both hilarious and painful, why? Because she was with me at the time

While I was too involved with me past I hadn't noticed a maid pop up next to me with a bright smile on her face

"Hello sir, what can I get you today?" she sounded both energetic as well as mature and when I finally looked up to her I smiled politely

"I'll take the special" I answered, the blonde women smiled and nodded before walking back to the dinner to get my order, with some time to spare I felt myself dwell back to the red headed devil master that was in charge of this territory

The first thing I remembered was the hair, for most of my life I had seen some crazy things but her red hair was probably the most crimson I had seen on anyone, she takes ginger to a whole other level, Anyways, the fact her hair was red as it was gave me an easy pass in realising what her identity was.

The Gremory family house was notorious for not only its kind nature but its relation to Sirzechs Lucifer who just so happened to be the older brother of Rias Gremory - the red head I had met. I felt slight surprise when I put this together but it didn't really bother me, our last meeting had smoothed a few things out, so conflict between the two of us was almost unheard of.

She was responsible, her reputation proceeded her as the kind to keep a level head and who could blame her, her older brother was a maou, the strongest one at that, and she was going to become the next head of her family house, indiscriminately fighting other powers was at most restricted by herself personally so to keep her status and rep clean

Come to think of it issei had found himself to be rather lucky, being resurrected into a peerage of that stature was a great honor, but how would I know what that would feel?

Still, the boy's life was at best safe, the Gremory chick wasn't the kind to betray, manipulate? Yes but not betray so his life was, in better terms, in the clear, you're probably wondering why I care so much but you can rest assured that I don't anymore, his life was safe enough to grant him enough time to adapt

The next time we meet may be on a battle field of some sort, I could safely admit I felt a sense of excitement at what amount of skill he'll live up to

Guess I leave that to time...

'Here is your order sir" seems my inner musing had chewed up the wait, smiling up to the blonde women I thanked her politely before I dag in

**-XxXxXxX-**

When it comes to operating a mission solo one may expect things to come by rarely compared to partnered operations as the saying 'the more the merrier' helps the usually hard to find things come by relatively easy. My partnership with Griselda before her promotion from exorcist to sister was probably the most effective the Vatican had at their disposal, but like any great things they need to come to an end at sometime

Turns out spending a lengthy amount of years partnered up with me can change someone's outlook on ideals so with that in mind Griselda had grown fond of combat but she never fully consumed the feeling hence why she accepted her promotion to sister, she may have continued her sword training classes when she had been promoted but that was mostly to A) pass on her skill and B) take a break from the demanding line of work

That being said I had expected my search for Asia to be taxing and long but a simple glance out the window changed that opinion completely as the girl in question was seen outside the cafe'

And I'm sure you can guess who she was with

Yup, Issei Hyoudou was starting to be a big impact on this operation as this was what? The third—fourth time running into him, I swear this city was smaller than it look because I had never run into a person this amount of times before

If this was some sort of sign...

Dashing that from my thought process I quickly dropped a decent amount of money onto the table before rushing out the door, the blonde that had been serving me looked surprised but she otherwise ignored my rude exit

By the time I had gotten outside I noticed the two walking through the arcade gallery before they disbanded from their gaming montage, I noticed Issei win the blonde a stuffed animal before they seemed to walk off into the isolated park not too far from where they were, seeing as though isolation was the last thing I wanted them to waltz into I quickly followed suit

Once I had finally muscle my way through the crowded arcade gallery which took me a good minute or so I quickly leaped into a run towards the park, I don't think the both of them realize it but right now the park was the worst possible location for them to be in, that an the fact it was getting late outside both suggested the fallen would secure isolated spots before proceeding to hunt further

With the information Freed had given me gave me the full knowledge of Asia's importance to the fallen angels and the fact she hadn't been with them for over 24 hours had me guessing the fallen were going to be hunting for her with the vengeance

Time was of the essence here, with the fallen angels prowling about the city at this time the two ignorant teens ahead of me were prime game for them if they were found, so instead of wasting time tailing them I made myself known quickly

"Blondie!" I yelled out, I purposely ignored her name as my yelling would obviously attract attention.

The two teens stopped in their tracks as my voice was the only other one in the entire park, Asia was the first to turn with surprise but I could also see fear and issei quickly followed a look of tenseness quickly gripped him as the sight of me must be a negative perspective

I did look menacing when I'm working so it was normal

I stopped a good distance from them so to make sure I didn't scare them off, I didn't think they'd run but I took precautions so to make sure that wouldn't happen under any circumstances, the three of us remained silent before Asia cut the ice

"Isaac..." whispered the blonde nun who looked to have a conflicted expression of relief and fear

"It isn't safe to run off on your own Asia" my reply was gentle and calm and by the looks of her reaction it must have sounded like a light scolding, I had ignored her previous expression of slight joy and instead chose to make sure her second emotion didn't grow

Looking over to the second individual I closed my eyes and sighed "how did you find her Hyoudou?" Issei shifted uncomfortably before he answered

"I didn't find her as much as she found me" his reply sounded firm as if he was confining a will to face me, good thing to cause every time I spoke to him he'd look surprised or a little bit scared, I may have a intimidating reputation but it wasn't to that point

Nodding to his words I glanced around our location before I looked to Asia seriously "I came here to tell you Asia that an impending danger is closing in, that being said I think it would be wise to vanish" now normally 'vanish' in my terminology was to disappear physically but by the expression on Issei's face I might as well have said 'I'm here to kill you'

Sometimes I hate being oblivious to 'normal' ways of speaking

In a quick manner Issei stepped in front of Asia defensively all the while summoning that familiar sacred gear of his "whatever you wish to do to her, ya'll have to go through me!"

I remained silent for a moment to process that cliché' 'protect' line you hear on cheap TV shows, after reeling back from that line I attempted to ease the kids riled up emotions

"Calm down Hyoudou" by my words I saw a flicker of hesitance in his eyes before they steeled it away

"How can I calm down when a person who follows god wishes to take the life of an innocent girl?" Issei's words sounded horrid as I myself have bared witness to such atrocities before

Before I could respond issei cut in with a second angry comment "if attacking you makes me your enemy then whatever, I don't give a crap about the danger; standing by and watching someone innocent get killed for a stupid reason is worth the risk" I could admire the strong words but nothing really mattered as the rant he was going on about was pointless

For the third time I wished to ease him down but instead of him interrupting me it was a fourth individual whom I wish hadn't shown up

"~my, my, a devil protecting a sister from a priest, what a sight~" cooed a teasing and mocking voice, with all the hours of surveillance under my belt I had come to the understanding that Raynare had joined our heated conversation

'_Perfect! real smooth Isaac, should've just teleported them outta here' _some mistakes are painful but looking past them gets you back up, and so I grunted away my frustration before I turned round and came eye to eye with the single winged fallen angel who just so happened to be my primary target

"Yuma..." muttered issei as he gritted his teeth "What do you want Yuma" Issei's growl of displeasure didn't go unmissed as my imagination brought me to the idea that these two had history... sour history by the looks of it

"Humph, don't worry my business doesn't lie with you; but we could finish what we started" Raynare's words did something as issei nearly flinched at her words, I heard the fallen mutter a taunting phrase before a red light spear that looked like it had thorns appear in the raven haired women's hand

In response to Raynare's action Issei readied his sacred gear, the green gem in the middle had been glowing but now it was glowing brighter than before, at the sight of Issei's gauntlet Raynare started to laugh at his gear

"You really want to threaten me with that thing; it's nothing but a twice critical – coming up short as usual" for some reason I hardly doubt his gear's a twice critical, the day I felt his power rise showed it was capable of much greater power then just a double power boost, seems some one's on a high horse

Before issei could prepare himself Raynare sent her light spear directly towards Issei's gut but since I was here I might as well save the boys ass... again

_**CRASH!**_

The sound of glass shattering filed the park as my previously sheathed blade was now sitting comfortably by my side while the remnants of raynares red light spear vaporized in the air. Sheathing the blade after it had done its job I slapped it back into its sheath fluidly

By the look on Raynare's face I had done something she hadn't expected in the least, bet money she believed I wouldn't bother saving a devil as he was, of course, my enemy but since I had done this regularly I had done what I had did without thought... well maybe there was but let's ignore that

I remained silent as I kept myself between issei and Raynare, and at this point I actually chose to question why I still continued to help this boy but seeing as though he had been attacked so many times in a matter of days I ruled out my actions with an excuse relatable to that fact

"What the hell, why the heck are you protecting him? He's your enemy!" Screamed Raynare who couldn't help but word her confusion angrily, hehe called it

For the most part I ignored her and glanced back to Issei "hey kid" I called out, I noticed issei look impassive of the action I had taken and quickly addressed me

"Yeah?"

"Just like yesterday I want you to stay with Asia" I ordered, at my calm words Issei's previous expression of impassiveness snapped to a look of anger

"Hey! Don't just rule me out as some kind of B_tch you can push around; I can handle her" growled Issei as I couldn't help but chuckle at his words

"Really now?" I questioned calmly. glancing down to my Zetsurin sword I tossed it to my right arm before ramming the end of the sheath into his gut, keep in mind, the strike that sounded painful was actually a love tap compared to the common injuries found on supernatural battle fields but for some reason the previously gung-ho teen that had been so pumped to help me was dropped so easily by it

"Your determination is admirable but sheer will doesn't win battles, skill wins battles and you have not reached that amount of skill, so with that said stay down" my words were harsh but he needed to hear it, his attitude was running high on emotions and that was something you needed to nip in the bud quickly, brash emotions and anger on the battle field was frowned upon by not only me but even trainee's back at the Vatican

With the boy down I turned from him and readied myself to battle the fallen angel whom had taken the courtesy of letting me do what I did without any back stabbing

"Are you done your little lesson Priest? Cause I'm starting to get bored of waiting" cooed Raynare as her mocking expression met my icy cold stare, twirling my sheathed blade back to my left hand skillfully I held out my sword horizontally before addressing the fallen angel before me

"Stand ready fallen angel Raynare... death awaits you" before she could respond to my eerie threat I quickly vanished from my spot, at the sudden action Raynares eyes widened considerably but just like any other experienced being of combat she instinctively summoned a light spear so to stop a horizontal strike to her left side that would have relieved her of her head

"Tch" Raynares dissatisfaction showed as the expression she held was of great amounts of strain and frustration.

Seeing as though my first attack hadn't connected I disengaged our locked blades and regrouped a good distance away, Raynare's sense must've been sharpened when I had first shown my speed because the minute I let up my speed advantage a red light spear was directed towards my chosen path

With a quick unsheathing of my sword I cut the spear in two before returning it back to its "holster" and continued towards the fallen angel whom had chosen to engage me in close quarters

Not exactly the smartest choice

As soon as my target came into acceptable range i flexed my legs and with a burst of speed unheard of for a human I jolted directly past her leaving a shocked fallen angel in my wake, I was expecting the fallen to have been down but surprisingly enough Raynare had quickly jumped from where she was

Not a second after Raynare's decision did a storm of white slashes make themselves known at her previous position

I had intended to end this quickly with that move but it appears the fallen before me wasn't fully aware of her true potential, dodging that took a good amount of focus but then again she just barely dodged my attack, the evidence?

_*Drip* *Drip* *Drip*_

Raynare gripped her right arm painfully as the bloody wound left on her bled profusely and since fallen angels didn't have the divine protection Angels had, healing from a wound like that wasn't going to happen

"You bastard..." she growled lowly, I like usual remained silent while placing my hand over my sheathed sword threateningly

By the looks of her expression my threatening stance had pierced her emotional barriers and fear followed suit. Raising her arm Raynare shot a small but quick light spear into the sky before she fell back a good distance from me, it seemed she wished to keep the distance as even taking a single step forward threatened to force her to flee

A few moments of waiting and three fallen angels appeared by Raynare's side, each of them looking confident

"You called lady Raynare" Dohnaseek had intended to sound calm but a single glance to his leader's state had suddenly made his last retort look stupid

Raynare ignored the idiotic comment and instead pushed her finger out to me angrily "erase that priest while I handle Asia" at her orders the three other fallen angels nodded

After the three focused their attention on me I narrowed my eyes at the fleeing Fallen who had the courtesy of looking back at me "sending in the fodder for your salvation... how cowardly of you" my words seemed to spark a look of fear in her eyes as the wound I had inflicted must have rose a primal emotion all beings had

As Raynare flew towards the other two whom had wisely started to retreat I ignored the wounded raven and instead focused on neutralizing the three "cannon fodder" she had used so to save her sorry ass

Not even five minutes and the women already disgusted me

"So this is the Priest that scared you off Kalawarner? Ha! He may have gotten a hit in on Raynare but there's three of us and only one of him" Mittelt's snare of confidence resounded all around the park as Kalawarner snapped back at the blonde fallen angel angrily

"Shut it Mittelt, he's far stronger then you realize" at the older woman's words the younger one snapped back mockingly "Did he scare you that bad?" the quick retort forced Kalawarner to click her teeth at the younger girls blatant cockiness

Ignoring the girl the older women turned from her ignorant ally before looking to me, and for a moment of entertainment I flicked my sword out just like I did the first time she saw me, the bright silver metal shone brightly for a second before its visage became tolerable to those less akin to bright light and just like last time the fallen angel looked like she wished to flee but since her allies were here she remained were she was but the look of hesitance never left her

I couldn't help but smirk lightly at her expression of fear, threats in words never scared more than true primal fear and the women was completely weighted down by it, while the other two remained unaware of their true situation all the while continuing to send insult's towards each other and myself, it went on for a good thirty seconds before I decided to end it by sighing loudly

"You guys done?" I questioned suddenly which had quickly stopped the older man mid insult

"You say something?" he questioned mockingly

_*sigh* _

Arrogant fallen angels always gave me a sour taste in my mouth and encountering these types of idiots so many times has started to give me a feeling akin to entertainment when I took that confidence... and shove it where the sun don't shine

"Y'know what, forget it" once my words left my lips I quickly unsheathed my blade

Actions speak better than words...

**-With issei-**

Issei felt his eyes widen when three more fallen angels suddenly appeared in the park and he could honestly say fighting was out of the question, Isaac's words stung but they were true; he had witnessed the man's level of skill when he neutralized the insane priest easily, it had shown him a level of skill normally seen in action movies but he pulled it off like it was just another Tuesday

'_with a level of skill like that...' _it was at this time that he realized the severity of the situation, various movies had shown what happens to the hot head, anime's showed them to actually win but this was real life were shit like pure will didn't out rank skill and to put that into perspective he was, moments ago, the hot head

And when it came to non-anime movies the hot head was what they called "the red coat" and their role was to show just how brutal the villain can be, so with that running through his mind Issei had done a smart thing... run, with Asia of course

Issei felt relief when the four fallen angels didn't out right chase after him but that feeling was quickly dashed the minute he saw Yuma start after him leaving the other three with Isaac, leaving the thought of the three fallen angels issei brought his attention on the wounded fallen angel chasing after him

"Don't even bother running little boy" growled Raynare as she summoned a red light spear, tossing it with her left arm the spear slammed into the side walk to Issei's left, seconds after it cut into the ground did it detonate into a powerful plum of pinkish-red energy sending issei tumbling along with Asia

_**BOOOM!**_

Thankfully the detonation had been minimal to the point of just minor shrapnel but that didn't deter the amount of pain the attack had left on the teen whom had found himself both blinded and beaten to get up

Ears ringing from the sudden rise of sonic sound issei didn't hear the pleas of worry from his new blonde friend, seconds after his vision cleared issei was greeted with the sight of a green light, a moment after and a feeling of warmth came, completely deleting the pain entirely

"Issei... Are... alright!?" pleaded Asia as the confused teen finally began to hear her words

"Yeah, thanks Asia - I was just a little deafened" replied the teen as he shook his head, with his focus sharpened from the explosion issei quickly looked around to find Yuma

He didn't need to look long as the sight of a flying woman with her usually black leather straps wasn't hard to spot for a highly trained pervert, closer inspection had shown issei that the women was sporting a smug expression, it was probably because she had a sick sense of humor when it came to dealing pain and her former boyfriend was no exception

Before he could take action Yuma wordlessly sent another light spear towards him but instead of it penetrating his stomach like previous encounters his left arm quickly, at speeds he never knew he was capable of, slapped the spear to the side like a leaf in the wind

!?

Shocked expressions rained free on the faces of not just Yuma and Asia but Issei as well whom had chosen to look down to his sacred gear with surprise

'_what was that?" _his question wasn't answered so his imagination had helped build a skeptical conclusion

Feeling his emotions rise at the unintended block issei put on a cocky expression that of which sent Yuma into a snaring expression that screamed 'hell hath no fury'

With speed at her disposal Raynare burst from her position in the air directly towards the little boy she had wished death upon ages ago, with a light spear in each hand the annoyed fallen angel gunned it towards issei

Since his turning issei had picked up a level of perception normal humans were incapable of, cars looked like they crawled and baseball was now too painful to watch as the usually fast moving objects, inanimate or not moved at speeds he could catch in his sleep

With that in mind, the speed Raynare possessed didn't appear as a blur to some but instead it looked like a really fast Olympic athlete women ready to gut him.

Thinking on his feet the prepared teen jumped to the side while grabbing Asia by the wrist, the sudden disappearance of her target had left Raynare's frontal charge useless so with great leg strength the single winged fallen angel dug her high heel boots into the concrete flooring leaving a visual divot in the ground. Landing before Asia, issei caught her bridal style before turning back to face Yuma

All this time issei was running high on adrenalin all the while his mind had been wording various combat incentives learned through many years of action movie montages, he left most of the "un-realistic' choices aside while he instead used the most common sensual ones

All in all, his actions were spot on but sloppy in the eyes of skilled combatants but with Raynare's spear arm out of action her usually crisp movements as well as her range advantage looked just as sloppy as Issei's this left the two's skills at a stale mate

"_that damn priest_" growled the fallen angel lowly as the wound on her right arm still bled, the wound that she had the displeasure of having seemed to throb much harder than before, Raynare suspected it to be a torn vein but the effects didn't match the description of one, as instead of heavy bleeding she instead felt cold, extremely cold and the bleeding was only minor all this led up to was a skeptical conclusion

'_That priest must've done something to his blade to inhibit after effects of some kind' _concluded the fallen as she gripped her arm tightly, snarling quietly at any hint of pain. Her pride had been injured and she'd be damned if the little runt in front of her won just because of a simple scratch but the wound she had sustained from the priest was making that thought a hard one to make true

From a far issei had wondered if running was a good idea but the saying "never turn your back to the enemy" had caused him to refuse the 'flight' instinct and so he begrudgingly accepted the 'fight' side instead

The wound she had sustain was a godsend (Ow), if she had been left un-scratched then this fight would have been over the minute she threw the spear but thank Lucifer that she was a righty and not a lefty and no that Yuma had stopped attacking for some reason issei had a chance to catch his breath.

With this time to clear his mind Issei remembered the many advices he had been given by not just his master Rias but Isaac as well, the most effecting one however was the one he first received from the platinum haired priest

_The odds of death are much closer know_

Issei had felt like a sheet of his ignorance was lifted off of him because right now this fight was one for his and Asia's life, if he failed it would mean his death, again, and Asia's capture and that mere thought had motivated the teen to drop all unnecessary thoughts and focus on the task at hand. Failure wasn't an option

Since his skill wasn't Isaac's level, issei had delved into deep thought while one part of him kept an eye on the women before him and the one next to him, pure strength wasn't going to help here and neither was magic as his sorry ass couldn't cast a single one so he needed to focus on wearing down his opponent but since she was a supernatural being her stamina was gonna take a long time to wear down

Since his options were low issei had remembered the basic strategy used in boss battles in his video games, many final levels in there had always used the same basic procedure, 1) stay at a distance if the enemy you face is a close quarter specialist and since Raynare was forced to use her CQC this would help him stay far from trouble. 2) Strike when an opportunity presented itself but only do so if it's a clear shot don't risk exposure as that could end it as fast as it started

3) Keep the speed up; targets that move fast are harder to hit then tanks. He didn't know much about his defensive capabilities as his previous action of blocking the spear sent to him felt far to instinctual to replicate and so his speed in dodging and striking will be his best option

He hoped his ass wouldn't be fried if Isaac had been here as he showed that his involvement wasn't needed nor was it wise as he had a friend to look after but his option of running was gone, it was either kill of be killed and he's already been up the latter and he felt it was his turn to do the former so Isaac could stick it for all he cared

With his strategy running in his head, issei glanced to Asia and smiled encouragingly "stay back Asia, if we're running then running through her is our best option" at Issei's words the blonde nun nodded nervously

Now that Asia was aware of his intentions the young brown haired devil stepped forward with a look of determination that actually caused Raynare to ready herself "alright Yuma, lets end this"

"Are you daft boy? Killing you before was child's play, killing you a second time isn't gonna be any different" Raynare's returning snare only made Issei's desire for victory grow

"We'll see..." was his answer as he then bolted it towards the fallen angel, as he closed in on the female fallen angel issei quickly dodged to the right as the left arm of Raynare suddenly swung upward causing his frontal momentum to shift, but since the women's last strike had opened a blind spot Issei quickly capitalized by sending a right jab to the fallen's ribs, the impact was laughable but he wasn't looking to end it with just a single hit

He needed to wear her down a good bit before any of his attacks could deal any damage, but then again he also had Isaac but relying on him wasn't something his devil companions would like but the situation demanded that he use all necessary options, Isaac being one of them but since he was preoccupied with Yuma's allies his help was distant

Some part of him however believed he wouldn't have any problem with Yuma's posy

Issei quickly regretted his train of thought as it wasn't directed on his situation but someone else's, this left him wide open for a slap with raynares raven wings sending him tumbling back a good distance

"Didn't it tell you Issei, victory wasn't even possible for a weakling like you" Raynare's taunt angered him greatly. He was really getting sick of being pushed around, grunting painfully the teen hulled himself up with a bigger level of determination, however, his intentions were quickly forgotten when his sights fell on Raynare's reared back arm

"Issei watch out!" yelled Asia as Raynare directed a spear throw towards him, its accuracy was off but it did hit the floor in front of him, remembering Yuma's previous abilities relating to the spear of light the brown haired teen quickly barrel rolled away knowing full well what the women had truly intended

_**BOOOOM!**_

The large explosion that followed the spear had leveled haft of the park leaving almost every bit of concrete in every direction, from within the plume of smoke and dust rose issei who had thanked his luck that not only did he survived but the women he had jumped in front of had as well

"You alright Asia?" he questioned as his inspection of the young women yielded positive results

"Yes, I'm fine Issei" Asia had also inspected the teen above her but instead of a positive result she instead found the sight of blood, Issei's blood

"Issei! Your hurt!" she squeaked causing the teen to stop and look himself over, issei was surprised to see his entire left side was caked with blood but he felt no pain, it seemed his adrenaline had done most of the job in keeping the pain down but now that he could breath in calmly the previous pumping of his heart had stopped his rushing blood pressure causing a whirl wind of pain to sprout from his body

"Yeah—ok that hurts" ignoring Issei's comedic acknowledgment of his injury Asia quickly shifted their positions before she raised her hands and pushed the green light that shown from them towards his injury, the healing process started as soon as she made contact

Most of the small rocks that had dug deep into his lower ribs began to fall out as the open wounds closed, however, before Asia could finish completely a leather glove had decided to interrupt the healing session a moment later and the smoke cleared revealing Raynare standing over her and Issei, her left had gripping her wrist while the other had held a red light spear directly over Issei's head

"you have grown to be quiet troublesome Asia" the words of the women struck fear into the mention girl's being as she was to vulnerable to escape "I wouldn't run if I were you Asia, or I'll gut this pathetic devil" feeling herself relent at her words the fallen angel quickly forced the women up before grabbing her by the throat angrily

From the ground below issei watch on in pain as Raynare grabbed the girl he considered an important friend, his determination grew when his hope of helping her became more distant as the black haired women he now came to loath carried her away from him. For a moment Issei replayed the various words the nun had told her, he remembered the sad yet angering story of her life with the church and how they practically used her power until they quickly disposed of her as fast as they accepted her

And now she was being forced to work with people she feared and maybe even somewhat hated all the while believing it was just a simple test from god. His hands clenched angrily at the name of his true enemy

'_How can she still believe even after all that has happened to her?' _the answer eluded him as all he could come up with was simple dedication to a god but Asia's words quickly rang through his head

_All I want is a friend..._

'_A friend huh? Didn't I just promise her I was her friend?—yeah I did' _Issei's mussed internally

_[What is it you wish to do?] _Came a sudden feint voice, the voice was so sudden and feint that issei believed it to be his own

'_All Asia ever wanted was a friend, so why can't she just get her wish?' _he answered with a question of his own

_[Then why don't you make that wish come true] _the voice said back, the volume of its tone becoming much more easily heard

'_How can I when I can't even protect myself?' _issei replied, tone filled with lack of desire

_[Then what do you need? Ask and you shall receive] _the voice sounded calm as it continued to press on

'_I need the skill, the skill to overpower' _Issei's tone had begun to return to its former spunk

_[Skill is achieved child, what comes before that?] _The voice sounded like a teacher just waiting for him to answer correctly

'_Power' _he answered back simply

_[Oh? what about power?] _Replied the deep mocking voice

'_I need power' _Issei could understand what he needed, he didn't need skill, that's the second step, what he needed first was power; all this time he hadn't even casted a single spell so power was what he needed most

_[I can't hear you] _the voice answer simply

'_I said I need power' _the teen's voice could sound a bit more forceful but the mysterious voice wouldn't have it

_[I still can't hear you] _itteased, feeling his anger rise at the voices casual tone issei raised his mental voice higher

'_I want more power!' _he yelled

_[How can you obtain power with a weak spirit like that, I want to hear your desire boy—__**cry out your desires!**__] _By this time the voice could start to become evident and issei could feel the booming thoom of whatever this voice was bellow out its wish

And so, he ablidged but this time he put all of his emotion into his words, from the beginning of his turning he felt useless, he felt that he was just another pawn but right now he felt he could crush that feeling with just a flick of his wrist

'_**I NEED POWER!' **_Issei's words of heartfelt determination shook wildly in his mind as his desire to become greater was at its prime

_**[Heheh, as you wish...] **_and just like that a trigger had been pulled

Opening his eyes Issei was greeted by the feeling of weightlessness closer inspection had revealed he was standing. Looking closer to his form Blood red energy waved around him in droves, some of it resembled fire while another part of it looked to be cracking green electricity, the ground below him looked to have crack under his power and the gauntlet that rested on his left hand looked to have evolved as instead of his fingers being exposed red metallic fingers now covered them, as following its new appearance red energy boiled off of the red metal like smoke while the green gem glowed brightly

'_What... Is this?' _questioned the teen

_**[it is what you are...] **_answered the voice, instead of issei ruling out the voice to be his own he instead shook his head when the voice was not in fact his

'_Wait a second your real?' _Issei didn't really expect the voice that had given him determination to be sentient as he believed it to be his own determination personified into a motivating voice, big surprise there

_**[Yes I am real... I am the dragon that resides within your sacred gear] **_Issei's felt his ego swell just a fraction when the dragon within him muttered those sweet words

_**[Before you ask me more questions or sputter off into your own world... I believe it would be wise to deal with the fallen angel first] **_Issei quickly dropped his previous expression when the dragon inside of him mutter those words and immediately swapped it with a look of determination and anger

Without muttering a word issei looked up to the shocked women before him, Asia looked somewhat scared but mostly relieved at his speedy recovery, with all that has happened Raynare saw to it that her shock and frustration was answered

"What's going on!? You sacred gear isn't supposed to be this powerful; just what the hell are you!?" She screamed as Issei dropped into a low position as if ready to pounce

_**[Your imagination will be you strength...] **_Issei Hyoudou's eyes shifted green at those words _**[your determination will be your fuel...] **_muscles flexing issei focused all ounces of drive into his body_** [now strike her down] **_once the simple command was uttered Issei's form quickly jolted towards the female fallen angel whom had taken the time to push the female nun away so she could defend herself

Just seconds after moving and Issei's speeding form stopped suddenly to Raynare's front leaving loose concrete to fly up into the air, since his speed was a sudden surprise the fallen angel had no time to prepare herself for the powerful right jab directed to her stomach at speeds she couldn't see

GAAHH!

Blood flew from the fallen's mouth before the mass produced by Issei's punch sent her careening towards the trees behind her

**CRAASSH!**

_**BOOOOSSTT! **_

_**[Use this power given to you to blow away your enemies... now Issei Hyoudou! Erase her existence from this world!]**_ The dragons booming voice seemed to give the teen added motivation as red energy covered his right extended arm, reeling it back as if readying a punch issei clicked his teeth before sending it flying towards the shocked fallen angel

Raynare watched on in fear as the crimson red energy flew towards her, her anger grew heavily at the prospect of losing to this child, her pride hurt immensely but the power the boy produced had kept her inner desires of revenge held back

His power had proven she had underestimated him and that had cost her deeply

"**DAMN YOU ISSEI HYOUDOU!" **her last words of anger and contempt were drowned out by the powerful roar of Issei's crimson energy blast colliding with her vary being

_**KABOOOM!**_

A red inferno engulfed the spot where Raynare's form previously was and all that remained after it was a completely devastated epicentre of carnage, black feather's rained down from the sky signally a confirmed kill as well as a complete and utter obliteration by Issei's hands

Looking at the spot Raynare had previously been issei chuckled weakly "heheh, that's what happens when you mess with my friend" once his 'one liner' was complete Issei collapsed

Asia stood a good distance away from the man that had saved her she had grown extremely shocked at her friend's sudden rise of power but the expression of awe vanished when he began to fall

"Issei!" yelled the blonde nun as she ran over towards the falling devil, however, before she could reach him a platinum haired priest caught issei before he could hit the ground

Once the former maiden reached her friend she began to quickly examine his body, seeing if he had any injuries in need of attention. She was quiet surprised to see all of his wounds healed leaving varies scars of many different sizes all over his left side

"He'll be fine Asia, he just overexerted himself so give him some time to rest" informed Isaac as he stood over the two

"Are you alright Isaac?" she asked suddenly, the man in question shifted before he shook his and smiled back to her "I'm fine Asia, thanks for asking anyway" nodding at his words Asia turned back to her friend and pulled him close

As Asia held the boy tightly the silver haired priest looked at the prone teen with an unreadable expression before looking away from him and glancing all around at the destruction the devil teen had caused

Issei wouldn't realize it now but his initial release of power had level almost all of the parks trees, the concrete sidewalks were almost completely wiped from the park which had left it in complete shambles.

**-Isaac's POV-**

I hadn't truly expected it but the boy's powers were what I had thought they were to be, the first time I felt his power a few days ago I had felt my interest pique and now that he had awoken them I truly felt sorry for the fallen angel whom had unknowingly angered a powerful yet ignorant being

But something irked me

His sacred gear was definitely NOT a twice critical; Raynare had ignorantly stated that many times during eavesdrop sessions as well as state it a few minutes ago. Before I could delve into his powers any further a red magic circle quickly appeared a few feet from me and the other two, I immediately knew it was the Gremory's as its family logo was easily distinguishable

A moment later and the four members were seen standing before me, each of whom wielding different expressions, the blonde knight looked to have found my figure to be his biggest interest while the small white haired female seemed to find the surroundings more important, the black haired women smiled that smile she had held yesterday and Rias Gremory looked to be the most emotional

She wasn't crying if that's what you interpreted

I hadn't asked myself this yet but...

'_How does one explain a destroyed park to a female devil?' _with that questioning running through my mind I also didn't like the idea of explaining myself to her at this particular moment but since I was a professional I had digressed to stay put. Before I spoke however, I thought of a source of info I had leant back at the dinner

Smiling slightly I looked to the red head and tilted my head slightly "Good to see you again... Rias Gremory" my words caused some form of reaction as all of the devils tensed at my knowledge of their masters name but honestly who could really be so shocked, normally the church doesn't acknowledge the other fractions unless it crosses their line of interest, I however, like to know my enemy and all the names I may encounter during my campaign with the Vatican

It kinda helps things move along much better

"Ara Ara, aren't you full of surprises" commented the Gremory queen, the raven haired women looked to be the least effected by my words but with my skilled eye I saw a look of readiness layered under the joyful façade

Ignoring her for the moment I instead kept my icy blue eyes on the crimson eyes of Rias Gremory before me, I read many different emotions from the women as fearful rained dominant over the rest yet she kept that hidden by a look of superiority and anger

The latter most likely being the easiest to guess while the former being expected

Rias shook herself before finally addressing me with that commanding yet calm tone she had yesterday, yet the level of smugness I had heard before wasn't present

"Care to explain?" she asked calmly but an edge could be felt... vary faintly mind you

"Depends what I'm explaining... The fact I know of your name or the..." glancing back to the park behind me I couldn't help but marvel at the sheer level of destruction Issei had managed to produce "or the reason the park is in this sorry state"

"If it isn't too much trouble I'd like it all to be explained" she replied while looking to the unconscious issei with a look of worry however whatever worry she held she quickly ignored it and looked back to me

"The first part isn't too hard to understand, your red hair as well as the reputation that follows you seems to be a big enough beacon to at least raise a few flags but I digress. The second part is sort of surprising..." raising her Brow Rias looked to me with a look of interest

"Oh? What may that be?" she asked

"I'll say this once Miss Gremory... that pawn of yours isn't just a pawn, he's something much greater" my simple words were mostly likely not enough as her interest seemed to push her to question me again

"What do you mean?" she asked with growing suspicion

"What I'm saying Miss Gremory, is his power was strong enough to not only level haft of the park but it was also enough to take down a fallen angel with only two moves, the second strike being a tad bit overkill" my answer had caused what I had expected, shocked expression rained on every devil here as each of them looked to the unconscious teen who they believed to be a casualty in the conflict, they hadn't expected him to be the cause of this mayhem

"Take my advice Rias and train him well or his potential will be wasted" Rias didn't acknowledge the advice but I knew she heard it, the women nodded slightly before looking to me seriously

"What about you? Is your business her complete?"

"Yes, all threats have been purified, the rogue priests within the abandon church have most likely been taken care by now which has finally put the pesky infestation away... for awhile at least" squatting down I picked up a single black feather before stuffing it into an envelope with a cross on it

"Then I believe you will be taking your leave?" she asked as if putting emphasise on my closing departure

Before I answered her I looked to the blonde nun behind me "what is that you wish to do Asia?" I asked her, Asia was surprised by my sudden question but she quickly picked up a thoughtful expression

Asia looked to be conflicted as her vision went from issei to me a few times before she decided to get up and walk towards me, once she stepped to me she quickly hugged me close which had surprised me a good bit but knowing her I should start expecting hugs "As much as it hurts me to say this but I wish to stay here with Issei" her words could be heard but her expression wasn't visible as she kept her head down from my sight

"if that is what you wish I have no reason to argue" Asia looked shocked at my words but I quickly shot her a kind smile of reassurance that her choice was her own and that it didn't actually bother me in the least

"You'll just leave her here? By herself?" questioned Rias, she sounded shocked at my choice as if I was obligated to take her with me

"Of course, why do you sound so worried?" I counter questioned, Rias hesitated in her words before she pressed on ward

"She's your ally isn't she?" I nodded at her pause before she continued "then why would you leave her here all alone?" she asked angrily, the others looked to me for my answer but all I did was chuckle

"What's so funny?" growled the blonde knight but I simply ignored him and answered the question asked by the devil master of this peerage

"Didn't you hear... Asia didn't just say she wanted to stay here, but instead she wanted to stay with the hyoudou boy" Rias blushed in embarrassment at my truthful words all the while growling at her blatant disregard of visible facts

"I will not force an action on anybody, even if they are in the hands of devils" smirking slightly I continued "their choice is their own"

Rias seemed to understand my choice of words but I could see her confusion which could be ruled out as normal, the reason being is the church and all its follower's are pretty much frantic believers who don't consider the thoughts of others, I wasn't like that

"What makes you think it would be wise to leave her in our hands?" questioned the red head

"Multiple reasons miss Gremory, the biggest being your families kind hearted nature, I haven't heard any bad stories resolve around your family so leaving her with you would be wise as you are less inclined to do what I truly hope you don't" narrowing my eyes at her dangerously "and besides, I'm not leaving her in your hands... but his" as I finished I pointed my fingers to the awaking devil boy whom had seemed to be listening to my words

"I surly hope I'm leaving her in the right hands" I hinted to Issei, who without hesitance nodded firmly, to which I nodded back.

"Well now that this jobs done, I'll be going now" I said as I walked out of the destroyed park, before I left however, I stopped and looked around the destroyed park

"I guess I should be the gentlemen and clean up" kneeling down I placed my open palm directly over the dirt floor before muttering an unheard incantation, the devils looked confused by my actions but they suddenly changed to surprise when all the damage that had been done was suddenly gone leaving the peerage as well as Asia standing in the center of the undamaged park

"H-how? D-did you?— before the Gremory peerage could finish I raised a finger and waved it

"Now, now, that's a trade secret" once my words left my lips I smiled one last time to Asia before vanishing in a white magic circle

This job was done... on to the next

**-A/N:**

**Alrighty folks how's it going? Good? Good**

**Anyways I have a few things to get off my chest before I get on to a little rant I plan on writing**

**The first being Issei Hyoudou and what will he be like and I'll say it now, in the anime and manga he has for the record become my most disliked protagonist in anime the absolute worst is obviously Makoto from school days (he had it coming) so at least he has a redeemable aspect, that being his comedic persona everything else about him sucks and I'll leave that were it lays, so with all of that I plan on uprooting his character entirely if you haven't noticed by now I have slowing developed a sense of realism to grow in Issei's life, that being the impending danger that now surrounds him with his Turning to devil hood, he will by no means be perverted to the point of being unrealistic**

**However his sex drive won't be cut out entirely so yes he will have a slight perverted edge to him still but that with become distant, issei will become a bad-ass **

**The next thing is the sacred gears; the most noticeable is Issei's boosted gear and later Vali's divine divide, since these are sacred gears that are capable of killing gods I saw to it that they get a serious buff in power output and visual effects like seriously, the boosted gear doesn't really do much so I'm giving it a base of dragon like powers for issei to use. So expect more badass modifications in coming chapters**

**To put it simply the heavenly dragons WILL be a force you don't want to f_ck with**

**Any farther into the sacred gears will be spoilers so I'll stop here ;)**

**Now on to updates, as you may or may not of notice but my updates are rather distant and before you think I'm not totally into writing this story scratch that out, I am fully into this story but I have a up loaders code that goes like this, if I do not have the motivation to write I won't as I'd rather get the motivation and write something good then to force myself to update at a selected time**

**Trust me I've done that and it turned out bad *cringes* **

**As for my going about the story expect accurate back grounds to some religions and mythologies, the third season has already butchered the shit out of Mjolnir making it as instead of being worthy all you need is to be strong and I say f _ck that, Issei is not worthy of wielding Mjolnir that's a fact**

**The marvel Thor frowns upon you **** DxD **

**-Incoming Rant- **

**High school DxD Born has been running for a couple weeks now and I'd like to take this time to expresses my disappointment with the third season. I am fully aware of its intentions of moving through light novel chapters but I never expected them to truck right through them like a hot dog eating competition involving fat people, seriously five episodes in and I feel we've already been through ten chapters and that's being generous... they need to slow the f_ck down**

_**Spoilers ahead **_

**The amount of disappointment I had for the battle against Loki was probably the biggest let down I have experienced in a long time and I'm seriously hoping they do slow down because I can barely give a flying fuck about some character's already, kuroka hasn't even left an impression on me that's just how fast she's been introduced**

**And don't even get me started on Loki; he's honestly weaker then Kokabiel nuff said as he showed more god like powers then Loki**

**Marvel Loki Frowns upon you **** DxD Loki **

**Anyways I hope you enjoyed this chapter... peace ;)**


	4. The Hunt Begins: Part 1

_New horizon_

**-XxXxXxX-**

My trip to Japan was probably the first 'gritty' mission in my long line of church work as the lack of cover and fluidity of my mission showed even the professionals could have a ragged day in the office but I simply ruled out the events as an informative one.

The 'excuse' that I lined up to my commanding officer, archbishop Arndell, was for the matter of my cover being blown albeit lightly, I did care that the _heathen_ freed Sellzen had mentioned my first name as oppose to my full name, it was a rather large sum of information given but in doing so I discovered the location of a large VIP, that being Rias Gremory

These targets weren't necessary 'hit' targets but more of the kind one should know of, if matters were to take a more _drastic _turn then the church would have key targets to go after if the world would step "behind the fan".

Dirty yes, but when is warfare clean?

This however, didn't seem to effect the archbishops opinion as I instead got a lecture on keeping everything that I do confidential, to which it went in one ear... And out the other

An archbishop was the kind to remain in the shadows and behind a comfy desk with an ass ton of paper work to kill all the time they had while the ones bellow them do all the dirty/wet work for them, sure they were fundamental in the church and the baby face for the public but they would never understand the workings of off the record battle fields, shadow wars if you will

Archbishop Arndell was promoted through a... less gritty way, so my respect for him was limited but like any other solider, command was the law, so I had no choice but to place my biggest "shit-eating grin" and acknowledge his "advice" with absolutely no dignity what so ever

Once all the matters of my missions were discussed and all of my details filed into the Vatican's Archive's I was dismissed.

**-XxXxXxX-**

*sigh*

For the first time in about three months I've had a decent amount of time to relax, with my almost endless job requests I felt outta whack with the time off.

Maybe I'm a workaholic?

I doubt it; I guess the life threatening jobs I take on are far more entertaining than the churches almost limitless variety of _fun_ things to do; I am, of course being sarcastic, churches aren't known for their fun activities but their consolation of those in need of guidance

Unfortunately I wasn't in need of guidance so...

"How on earth does she handle being here all day?" I questioned to myself "You wouldn't happen to be talking about me would you?" question a female voice

"Guess I am now..." I retorted smoothly while remaining in my position, I knew Griselda was standing by the door frame to my room, I did leave the door open for her after all

"May I come in?" she asked politely, a small smile to add to her kindness "yes you may" I answered; she nodded before stepping into my moderately sized room

"It seems you have returned in well condition" she said while dropping her 'sister act', she now sounded more relaxed and friendly then the hollow voice of politeness that no one noticed but myself

"I'm glad to see you're still as lucky as ever" she continued while walking over and sitting in the bed side chair

"Luck isn't in my dictionary Griselda... didn't you know that?" I asked while opening an eye towards her, her response was a simple grin and a head tilt at my obvious smartass comment

"Yes of course I knew, I was just checking" she replied calmly, "speaking of 'just checking' did your two students return yet" I asked calmly

At my question the room suddenly grew deadly serious and I think the room began to drop a couple degrees; I wasn't exactly affected by it as I knew this atmosphere better than anyone and it was enough to answer my question

Griselda's sisterly side had just activated...

"Yes they did..." she said but she looked... frustrated? Dishevelled? I don't really know what a sister feels when it comes to having a loved one but I knew who would cause it

Xenovia...

I didn't need years of perception training to noticed the two held a sibling like bond as the two of them seemed to get along albeit one was scarier than the other but they did show a form of family like vibe.

Griselda took great care in raising the little "blueberry badass" named Xenovia, it was a nickname I gave here some time ago, she got it when I first met her at the age of 14 when she ran into me and then used me as a form of protection from the "grey haired ghoul", the reason she's known as the "blueberry badass" by yours truly is because I only know one person that would even dare an insult towards the grey haired women so to say she had balls was an understatement

Ballsy indeed

I never really expected Griselda to pick up being a sister as she herself was similar to me in both reputation and status so seeing her adopt the girl was like seeing a body build psychopath take on a weak hippie persona, horrific yet hilarious

"Ya gonna tell me their story of should I go and fined out myself?" I asked while smirking to her

"There's no need, her side would probably be "oh the vampire got a lucky break" or something along those lines" she said with a twitching eye brow

"What happened?" I asked with a raised brow of my own, sighing before she spoke Griselda began her story

"Before you left, both Xenovia and her partner, Irina Shidou, went on a vampire hunt in the east, by the order of their reports they had to dispose their cover in favor of chasing down their spooked target-"

"Not a very good start to an operation if you ask me" I added my two cents

"I don't recall asking for it" she snapped back calmly, "ooooh, touchy, touchy" I replied sarcastically but it seemed to only press her negative emotions further

"Isaac?" she asked with 'that smile'

Seeing as though the room started to smell like ozone I withheld my tongue "continue" I said politely terrified

"As they chased down their target they had run into an ambush, a vampire nest is a better way of saying it..." she stopped when I cringed at their brashness, once she had snapped me a look that promised some kind of discomfort I let go of my inner nag in favor of hearing the rest of the tale

"The good news is that with my training as well as your advice on dealing with violent Youkai, the two managed to survive with little injury..." before I could comment she glared at me before continuing

"However, most of the nest was filled with just recently turned humans, so all that inhabited the nest was a few ghouls and rookie vampires who barely classified as novice fighters, so their victory was based on pure luck" feeling safe that her story was finished I placed a question into her mind

"Why the Doom and gloom then? I can imagine some form of scolding for acting brash but to see you this strung up makes me feel your eluding a curtain part in the story" at my words my old friend quickly pick up a rather cute expression of embarrassment, I knew she was forgetting something

"Well... all that remained was the nests patriarch, who was miles ahead in skill then the other vampires"

"So let me finish for you, both Xenovia and Irina had their asses handed to them?" I answered but Griselda brushed that guess off like a bag of leaves "no, he was easy"

Wait what?

"Do you remember the lesson on personal hygiene as well as proper combat preparation?" she asked suddenly, feeling a little confused at were this was going I nodded anyway

"Well Xenovia failed to understand the lesson" again I'm at an impasse, where was this going?

"Last time I check the two prepared just fine in the drills, I honestly think your over analysing this 'Grisy'" I said while tossing in the nickname I had given her

"What was that?" she asked dangerously causing me to pale slightly though I tried to hid my growing fear at my mistake

She _hated _that nickname;

I hate being to over relaxed sometimes, sh_t just flows out

"Nothing at all ma'am" I replied quickly all the while playing off my last comment... smoothly

"Her preparation is fine but it's the choice of hair she went with" she revealed

"Yes that needs to be worked on... wait what?" I hadn't expected a reasoning like _that_, for all purposes the lesson on hair was almost completely lost on me, when did we have that lecture? I don't know, all I know is that this wasn't what I had expected at all

"I told her to get it cut before leaving but she insisted it wouldn't be a problem, and sure enough it had almost cost her life... That brash child" for a while she ranted on about why it was important to be weary of hair length all the while I remained on my bed completely confused all the while thinking...

Huh?

After she calmed down she and I sprung up a much more mature conversation about my previous mission in kouh city, I had mention freed Sellzen and his appearance on my mission and she didn't seem to happy at all to hear about him, she was glad I sent him to his creator as I did and thanked me for ending a dark part of the churches history

Then came the part where I had my cover blown, scolding's from Arndell were painful but she took the cake, my ear was throbbing for minutes after her lesson of fluidity and that "a professional should set an example for the younger breed", to bad she was the only one who knew I was 'old breed', everyone else thought I was just a young prodigy exorcist

Soon after the conversation had died Griselda had been requested to her department for sister matters leaving me to my thoughts, about twenty minutes passed before I remembered something I had promised myself to do when I had returned to the Vatican

"Maybe this time off will help me learn about that blonde knight in the Gremory heir's peerage" lifting myself up I jumped off the bed and walked out my quarters fully dressing in my priest attire with a goal in mind

I guess time off isn't so bad after all...

**-XxXxXxX-**

Sometime later I found myself outside the Vatican's "library" which was actually the "Archive" for all past operations the Vatican had taken part in were stored here, it was obviously kept from public eye as the knowledge of the supernatural was still kept from civilians, so in order to get in one needs a clearance code to enter

I just so happened to have a code

Tapping in the code a small camera opened up above the doors frame, lifting my left hand up I took of my grey fingerless gloves and presented a tattoo crucifix, a second later and the door 'clicked' confirming my entry was accepted

Placing my glove back on I walked through the slide doors and into the Archive's reception office, across from me was a desk and a women who seemed to be caught up in paper work, since this place was the pinnacle of knowledge for the Vatican most of the work here was relaxed but extremely complex

"Hello Isaac, whet brings you here?" the women asked without even looking to me

"Good to see you're as busy as ever Claire" I replied, Claire was a rather young women with light brown hair, green eyes and rimmed glasses similar in color as her eyes, she was mostly known for her powerful mind. She was stationed in the Archive because of her near picture perfect memory on files of over thousands of Youkai worldwide, though I don't understand why she's at reception,

Stopping in her work the women stopped to look to me with a slightly annoyed expression, "Well when one works with a lazy topper like Darin, one needs to multitask to compensate loose ends"

Oh, did I forget to mention she's British?

"what is it this time Isaac, lifting of 'black inc'? Access to classified details on previous operations? shadow cell locations" she asked while listing off many options I had asked her for in the past

"I'm pretty sure those first two are the same thing" I mentioned lamely

"Either way it has to be high stake order... so what is it?" she asked while looking at me with curiosity, Claire had a thing with learning things and so when I stroll in she would clear her schedule just to learn what I'm learning

"nothing to high staked, I just want to search the system for a name" I informed, in a second a holographic screen appeared to my right, search systems were fired up and ready and everything was cleared for the search

This was the Nexus, a system of high grade elements both human and nonhuman combine together to create a technological advancement capable for searching otherwise unsearchable people and items, it could hack and do many other things I still find confusing, all I know is that it's better than any other computer, its search drive acted purely on divine energy, as long as heaven remained in existence then this would as well

"name?" Claire asked with no change in tone

"Yuuto Kiba" I replied while keeping my eye on the holoscreen, a second later and a dozen names popped up but known where what I was looking for

"try the list in the casualty section" I suggested but like before the name didn't show

"do you have any details of the person you are looking for other than just his name? I can run a much more accurate search if I have a physical description" recommended Claire

"Sure... he has blonde hair, blue eyes and a white completion... maybe European?" as I listed his physical features Claire's list sprang to life but for the third time in a row Yuuto's name didn't show up

"Something's not right... are you sure that's the full extent of the search options?" I asked, Claire searched her options while I thought of a possible mistake in my search

"the Nexus search option isn't suppose to be wrong, though I do remind myself to never trust a battery, but this isn't a battery, the nexus is a wide network of connections that flows all throughout the country as well as heaven, its core is updated by the hour and its security is updated at the same rate not to mention its divine protection helps as well, so why doesn't this work?" I remained silent as Claire continued to tap furiously on her keyboard

"maybe were looking in the wrong direction... Claire, what are the categories in the search process? more specifically what fractions are listed?" with my string of questions Claire's brain snapped into overdrive

"once this thing was commissioned a while back its core search functions had all three factions, heaven, hell, the fallen angel's, the rest of the worlds inhuman anomalies were added soon after the three were place in the Archive, every single one is baseline accessible except..." Claire drawled out while I smirked

"The casualties of the church" I finished for her, a soon as I said that a new list was brought up

"let's see here... ahh! Still isn't here! Are you sure this person isn't a delusion Isaac, four times _four _times we've search for this guy yet the nexus doesn't have a trace of him, he doesn't exist" Claire's patience was high, she put allot of faith in the nexus's functionality as it transcended all other computer but for it to come up dry four times in a row had most likely put a damper on her mood

I was surprised she wasn't as informed as I was

"no he's real, here" I said while walking to her desk, reaching down I pushed a few buttons before a audio entry page snapped up

"God our Father, Your power brings us to birth, Your providence guides our lives, and by Your command we return to dust. Amen" once the small partial prayer was complete the screen blink green before it opened up a new search key function

"Now search the name and detail of Yuuto Kiba" for a second Claire remained silent as she probably never knew I was technologically inclined, couple years ago she would be right but I was much more inclined now, I may even know a few things she doesn't

_The copy and paste short cut doesn't count Isaac..._

"Ok, I have his file... seems like he _is _real" Claire reviewed

"Pull up the page on the holoscreen Claire; I want to see where exactly I remember him from" a tap later and the file pulled up, if this was a physical file I'd have to blow off the dust cause this was blatantly in need of an update

The name was confirmed as well as Claire's previously established comment on his connection to the church but what I read in his overview didn't seem ethnical, and now I remembered why I didn't remember, the name rang a bell but his connection to the church wasn't an official member but a temporary one

"These records date back around 6 years ago, and why is his status temporary? In all my time I've never seen a position closely related to 'part-time'" Claire sounded confused which I for one understood completely,

"the reason we were never able to find him initially was due to the confidential nature of his connection to the church... have you ever heard of the "holy sword project" Claire?" I asked, Claire, for the first time, look nervous with both the information as well as the grim face I was holding

"No, I haven't heard of any project by that name" she answered, shifting slightly I indulged her curiosity "This was one of the darkest days the Vatican had been related to" by my words Claire remained silent due to my continued explanation

"6 years ago, a corrupt archbishop named Valper Galilei coordinated a top secret experiment that promised synthetic holy sword wielders. However, the project didn't go as planned, his experiments proved far too dangerous for normal humans to go through as before our knowledge of the projects existence 4-5 children were killed during the project's testing phase, it wasn't until later that we found out about his work, the order of his heresy followed after he disposed of the children" as I finished Claire looked to me with shock

"he disposed of them?" she asked clearing not believing what I had said

"Yes, to this day I don't understand why he did it, he was close to capture when he ordered them to be eliminated, the only reason why he escaped was due to a fallen angel's sudden appearance" I said, Claire seemed to be both angry and sad

"To think someone like him exists..." she said with a distant tone

Pulling up my phone I handed it to Claire whom had looked to me with confusion "load up all files related to this one onto my phone" receiving my phone Claire looked to me with still evident confusion

"Sorry Claire I've revealed to much already, I'll handle the field work while you make sure the intelligence stays intelligent" she looked disappointed but she otherwise relented

"It doesn't matter, you did show me a new portion of the nexus as well as reveal the audio code to get in to it, I haven't lost anything here..." I could see a small smirk on Claire's face grow as she handed me my fully stocked phone

"thanks and your welcome Claire, and I'll see you around" I said while smirking to here, she waved goodbye before getting back to her 'boring' side of her work

**-XxXxXxX-**

So Yuuto Kiba was a survivor of the holy sword project... no wonder he hates exorcists or anyone related to the church, it was us who put him through that hell, well it wasn't us, it was that disgusting man named Valper who did... sick bastard practically breath's heresy

With all that information about the Gremory heir's knight I stuffed it away for later study and instead decided to pick on a curtain 'blueberry long stocking' for obvious reasons, I may even teach them a little bit on proper mission execution

The Archive wasn't that far off from the training facility so my walk to it was a short one and I was luckily greeted by the two students of Griselda and myself training in the gym

Seems Xenovia had learned her lesson, she cut her hair, now it was short and messy. Aw, her sister would be proud

_Sarcasm Isaac, keep it down!_

I remained in the shadows as I watched the two spar, Irina's skills with the katana class weapon was as skill full as I remembered but like always it could be improved, out of the two of them Irina had taken after my style of weaponry, she didn't use the Iaido like I did as she believed it wasn't her thing, so instead she focused on a more basic style, ambidextrous sword play, two hand to one hand cycles, the kind of style used to deceive and expose the less then observant kind of target, she was currently working on the speed of her transitions as it would help her out wit the more observant kind of foe

Xenovia on the other hand focused on larger coat of arms, broad swords, great swords, claymores etc,  
currently she was training with one handed use of her large swords, she was even able to dual wield the heavy training swords with ease, but her speed lacked to a skilled vampires favor so she needed to come to grips of using just one and not going over compensating on us, instead she used the same tactic as Irina, fast transitions between number of limbs used to swing and which hand she'd use to swing one handed

All in all, the both of them were skilled, not skilled enough to be the top five but they were up there in skill

I watched the two spar for 15 more minutes before the two finally stopped to regroup, they were about to go back at it but Irina noticed me before they could

"Isaac! Hey Isaac!" she yelled while flagging me down, waving back in return I decided to approach the two 'rookies' this was my objective so I didn't see why I'd ignore them

I chuckled lightly when I noticed Xenovia didn't turn to greet me and instead began a staring contest with her heavy training sword, I knew she wasn't absolutely happy to see me right now, since she didn't know of my long history with Griselda she classified me as Griselda's lap dog then an advisor and whenever I came by to greet them or they ran into me she'd always seem like she hated it when I called her out

Keep in mind I don't always "call her out" my reputation here was the kind but deadly exorcist and I was known to be the rowdy kind of 'kid' whenever I felt the situation demanded it, so I don't always nag as oppose to tease the odd hiccup here and there

And since I was mature inside and slightly immature outside I knew when to play it dense or ignorant

Smiling to Irina kindly I turned to Xenovia "No hello for me Xenovia?" I asked slightly offended, jumping slightly at having her named called out the blue haired female turned begrudgingly towards me, it wasn't much but she usually looked stoic

To see her sporting a new look while remaining stoic made me imagine a unimpressed cat dressed in something it doesn't find amusing in the least and I had to admit, the immature though actually made me chuckle internally a little

"I see you changed your hair style... looks nice, though why the sudden change?" I asked suddenly, an unnoticed look of relief passed over Xenovia as my question passed over the two exorcist partners, Irina giggled lightly at my question but remained silent so to let her partner answer

"I felt the need to, the long hair hindered my movement" she replied calmly

Pointing to my bangs I also pointed out her new color style it took a few seconds for her to realize what I was emulating but when she did all she did was look at me impassively and answer

"It's for style... do you like it?" she asked with her "un-amused" look

I took a moment to delve into my fashion designer instinct and came up with... nothing

My style was a simple taste, considered to some I may as well be a cut out from those old movies in black and white, though I may have more white then black I still lacked a curtain "ump" when it came to style so my true honest opinion was more or less neutral, the only "style" I had was my sword skills

So like any person who favors the positive aspect of relationships I went with the more obvious approach

"It fits the short style well... what do you think Irina?" I said kindly while asking Irina's opinion, I could see Xenovia visibly cringe at my question because unlike herself Irina acted more her age then she did

One may say even younger than her age

Without skipping a beat Irina quickly hugged the bluenette from behind while smiling over her shoulder at me

"I think she looks cute in this style" she said flamboyantly all the while Xenovia looked like she wanted to disappear

"Irina..." Xenovia said in a low embarrassed tone, Irina however remained ignorant to her embarrassment and only looked to her in adorable confusion

"Um?" she asked innocently

"You're clinging..." said the embarrassed bluenette; Irina and Xenovia must have a mutual understanding to personal borders or something as the simple line Xenovia had uttered had stopped Irina's actions cold

'_Seems they've grown closer since the last time I saw them'_ I thought as I watched them bicker a little, the reason I hadn't seen them In a month or so was the resent incline in events involving the three fractions, mostly fallen activity, but usually if one moved the other two would follow

So like any other exorcist I was commissioned to work until we had as much order as possible, It wasn't until now that I had found a decent time to just wonder the halls of the Vatican's secret section that being the Archive, training section and the baptism cathedral

It's been so hectic that I've seen more hotel beds then my own

Then again the recent incline in operations has also brought a positive outcome to the ranks of the exorcists, after Irina and Xenovia graduated their scholars test in the Vatican's library both had been recommended to be partners, however, they showed to be incapable of getting along for very long

To say they were incompatible would be an understatement and even a handful of archbishops had questioned their partnership, I however defused their doubts by simply saying that in order for an incompatible team to become a team they need to find their comfort zones in order to collaborate like a unit

And by the looks of things, my choice in partnering them had proven to be a spot on decision, Irina always expressed an energetic attitude but when things grew serious she'd drop it the minute things broke loose

Xenovia was however different to her partners more flamboyant persona, instead of being an energetic spunk like Irina, Xenovia kept to herself most of the time, she showed more interest in church work then show any desire to embrace her own self, that being a young women

Her past was spotty, fellow exorcists with troubled pasts are usually kept in the dark for personal reasons; the skeletons should remain in the closet after all, however, in order for teams to be chosen correctly one must delve into the closet to see just who that person is

Back in the day such actions were frowned upon but after the events in Europe involving a curtain nutty priest things had become far more lenient in terms of recruiting, the church _**didn't**_ want to have that mistake happen a second time

All I could say about the bluenette was that she had gone through a tough life and it seemed the church was a good way for her to drown out her past

Somehow I find her relating to Asia in a way... I wonder how she's doing right now.

Shrugging lightly at my thoughts I looked to the two teens in front of me and invited them to a training session to which they quickly adopted a scared and nervous expression

Heheh, think you'd get away from me did ya?

**-XxXxXxX- **

**Kouh academy/ old school building/ with Rias **

After the events involving the fallen angels things had died down for the Gremory peerage, though things remained interesting they were far from life threatening to any of the members of the devil house hold

All that remained was unfinished business, currently the time in Japan was past mid night and almost all of the devils in the kouh territory were either home or somewhere else doing personal matters, however, the only one that remained active was a red haired devil named Rias Gremory whom at first sight showed a elegant women with a high sense of pride

But like any first inspection, observation's never revealed the true emotions completely

Rias couldn't understand her nervousness; just over a day ago she had been fronted with a fallen angel problem, not her first rodeo but her training with 'terrorists' lacked severely, she had been trained to deal with a problem yes but she was never warned of other involved parties

That one point being the mysterious priest that had shown up at her door step, uninvited and unwanted, he did show a level head and a complete understanding to the importance devils had to territories but she still sensed of level of carelessness from the platinum haired man

His message was the first sign of that

She knew of experienced individuals but he showed her that she had yet to see true experience; she gritted her teeth slightly at having her pride stepped on inadvertently

The man's words and actions before leaving had left her both humiliated and scared, scared at his power and humiliated at how much his words had proven correct

How so?

Not an hour after leaving the park she had felt a true instinct to make Asia her new bishop, the offer was far too good to just turn down, and the fact the girl had accepted albeit hesitantly made her grit her teeth even more, that mans knowing smirk irked her greatly

It was almost like he just knew her personally...

Then again, experienced exorcist's were known to understand devil desires far more then rookies and this man read her like a book, he knew her family was kind and she herself fully agreed that harming Asia was _**not **_theGremory way so he was right, she hated to admit it but he was spot on with that common knowledge

What bugged her more was his identity, she was trained by her brother that knowledge and Intel was a far better weapon then any gun or sword

This was the full reason she had remained awake, her best friend and rival Sona had been tasked with finding as much information on any exorcists by the name "Isaac"

She had been waiting some time for her reply from Sona but it seemed to be delayed, she ruled it out as Sona trying to get as much information as possible to present to her, she was known to be peculiar in her research so the delay was understandable

All she had to do was wait until...

"Rias" called out a male voice; however it sounded like a transmission

To Rias, the male voice lined in static interference sounded all too familiar to her, her response to the voice however didn't show she had expected it

"Eep!" she yelped in surprise while quickly turning in her chair to see a young man about 20-25 years of age with crimson red hair completely identical to her own, his attire consisted of red and gold Pauldron's lined in three layers while his entire body was cloaked in a black cape

This man was Sirzechs Lucifer and apparently Rias Gremory's older brother, normally the red headed female would be greeted with an abundance of affection but right now the normally flamboyant man looked serious as his bluish green eyes looked blank

The Gremory heir quickly calmed herself at her brother's appearance and addressed him normally "hello brother what can I do for you this evening?" she asked as if his visit was just as it was perceived "a simple visit"

The red haired man didn't seem to acknowledge her question as he instead cut to the chase

"I hear you are researching someone?" he question with a calm tone but it carried a knowing edge to his otherwise polite tone, Rias nodded to him in response "I am, I normally wouldn't ask this of you as you have more important matters then simple research but I require your assistance" Sirzechs closed his eyes calmly at her requested

"If this matter is so unimportant then why am I hearing about it? More importantly, if this wasn't as 'important' as you say it is then I wouldn't be the one calling as someone else would answer your call in my place... But here I stand" the man's words rang out dryly leaving the room in utter silence

Rias was left in silent shock, she knew her brother was never the kind to speak to her so condescendingly, she had seen it before when he relayed orders to his follows but to see him speak to her in such manner only suggested one thing

This wasn't her brother calling... it was "Lucifer"

To put it simply, his tone carried a commanding edge, a tone that carried a full load of business that she had not been the receiver of; this however left her confused

"What are you saying?" she asked, the man before her suddenly turned and began to walk around her desk, a flicker in the demonic hologram made her brothers image shimmer slightly before a holographic desk came into view a few inches from her brother, on the desk laid a single piece of paper

"Does this answer you confusion a little" he asked while lifting the paper up to her view, a look of realization passed over her as the Sitri family symbol could be seen on the pages top right corner as well as a signature was seen located at the bottom of the page, the name Sirzechs Lucifer clearly seen as the aforementioned signature

"A couple days ago in underworld time a curtain maou by the name of Serafall leviathan received a reclusive identity request from her sister personally, upon reading said request Serafall saw to it to address me in the matter which leads me to this point in time... so I ask for confirmation, is this description correct?" he asked while looking her square in the eyes

For a good minute Rias remained confused, however, the simplistic reasoning on why her brother had contacted her personally rang a bell within her mind

It was extremely rare for the devil kings to contact outside sources on requested pieces of Intel as they were usually handed down to the underlings due to them having more time to look into them

But when those selected moments were a maou contacts the outside source personally it usually means one of two things, 1) you had just uncovered a devil kings personal crisis and now they are here to either silence you or ask you to "forget" and 2) the matter of the topic is way too far up the chain and they are here to grind your search to a halt

Putting two and two together Rias realized he was here for the latter

"This is to far up the top isn't it?" she asked, instead of keeping his serious expression the man named Sirzechs smiled lightly at his sister's intuition as his hinting must have confirmed his earlier question

"As far as you are concerned, yes it is but I'm willing to relent you a small amount of Intel... for safety reasons of course" he informed making Rias's slightly down casted expression shot up to her brothers eyes with surprise but a look of confusion followed after it

"Wouldn't that be a sign of treason?" she asked with still evident confusion, Sirzechs on the other hand just smiled to her simply

"that would normally be the case but exceptions can be made, you are my sister after all so I don't see why I can't" most of the time Rias didn't truly enjoy being around her brother as he could be known as a little too attached to showing affection to her but he had his moments of inadvertent affection

The Gremory hair remained patient as her brother lifted another sheet of paper and examined it, Rias's eyes grew large when she noticed the sheer level of black Inc on the papers contents and immediately grew curious as to what information she would learn from her brother

"As per warning I would like to ask that what we speak of never leave this room, under any circumstance should this information be leak it must be kept with those you trust most... this is classified information Rias, guard it well" warned Lucifer as he looked to the now ready Rias Gremory

Placing the paper down, Lucifer informed his sister what she wanted to know "to be honest the man you know as Isaac has only been known as a simple ghost, it wasn't until Sona's identity request did we actually connect the dots..." he informed, Rias however quickly interjected with a question

"You knew of him even before today?" she asked, Sirzechs seemed hesitant before answering

"...Yes" he replied, seeing his sister's eyes widen slightly he chose to explain

"The information we have on him is limited, as of now you and Sona Sitri are the only ones to contribute information on him in over a year and that's only his name, but we see it as better than nothing as all we've been able to do is track his movement's, even if we are lagging behind a good day or so" explained Sirzechs as Rias grew more and more interested

"So you're saying you're searching for him... what for? War crimes?

Shaking his head Sirzechs clarified his sisters guesses "none of the sort, actively hunting a member of the church would strain the trust bonds we have with heaven" the words of Sirzechs eased the seriousness that had started to take hold of the young women's thoughts, before she could ask another question he continued

"Since we didn't have much data on him Ajuka Beelzebub had started to connect the dots" finishing his story Sirzechs looked to his sister as if waiting for the inevitable question

"What we're the connections?" she asked to confirm

"Just speculation of course but we made one big find some time ago" pausing for a moment to read over the paper Sirzechs continued

"This may come as a surprise but would you be willing to believe this?" he asked suddenly, steeling herself Rias nodded strongly

"Shoot"

"The data that had accumulated the most information on Isaac was located in Europe, decrypted from a church broadcast comm's channel during an incursion" after the devil king had muttered those lines Rias froze

"We didn't pick up much as the interference with our magic had only gotten spotty Intel but what we found had satisfied the upper echelon of the council... I myself had been satisfied" pausing for a moment Sirzechs noticed Rias look extremely shaken

"W-was this at the same church Yuuto-

"Yes" he answered quickly, Rias's eyes widened considerably at the revelation Sirzechs words had caused, ignoring the information Rias quickly sealed away her shock and pressed on with the more important information... Yuuto's past could wait

"What did the transmission withdraw?" she asked, Sirzechs eyed her for a second to see if she was anymore troubled then she already was before continuing

"The paladin of the church has arrived, may _ have mercy... Any other bits were far to spotty to decrypt" he revealed while leaving out the obvious pain inducing name

"A-a paladin?" asked the red head

"At first we were confused but by the tone, we guess it was either rank or a reputational title given to him for act's that coordinate with the word "paladin" but we are more leaning towards the former, a title like that isn't given to everybody" explained Lucifer, Rias placed her hand on her chin in contemplation

"How did you know it was him? For all we know that could have been someone else, the church is very secretive so I wouldn't be surprised if there were other people like Isaac" Rias's reasoning drew a brisk nod from her brother

"A good assumption but we had already made the connections that it was him, and to make it even easier, the incursion on the church in Europe had involved heretic's of the church that had the decency to withdraw some Intel during the raid, all in all the heretic's wanted to release as much Intel they knew about him... but judging by how pathetic that was I guess they knew nothing of him to begin with" shaking his head slightly to rid himself of the cringe worthy comm's interception Sirzechs looked to his sister regretfully, but before he could speak his sister`s expression drew close to a look of revelation

"What is it Rias?" he asked with confusion

Steeling away her emotions Rias looked to her brother with slightly shaken eyes

"That incident at that church happened six years ago... Isaac looked like he was only seventeen" the words of his younger sister forced Sirzechs to reel in his desire to divulge all information accumulated of Isaac to his sister as know he felt he had gone too far

"Before you ask any more questions, I'm gonna haft to stop you here, I have already gone over the boundary of classified Intel, any further would be irresponsible on my part" with that done the red Satan place the paper back onto the table before the table vanished from sight

Rias for the most part steeled away her thoughts but she suddenly put two and two together

"You look trouble Rias, mind if I ask why?" asked the worried Satan, shifty slightly in her seat Rias answered

"With the Intel you've given me I've become worried about my night Yuuto..." she replied

"You fear he may act on this if he learned of it...? If I recall correctly the boy doesn't take anyone related to the church kindly" he paused to think for a moment before continuing "Rias, I highly recommend keeping this information away from him at all cost, if Yuuto Kiba were to learn of Isaac's relations to his past... then he's as good as dead" Sirzechs warned seriously

"you make it sound as if he's stronger then all of us..." muttered the young women

"He is, and I'm not gonna sugar coat it, during the many investigations we had done on our search for Isaac we had come across many different Youkai species, many of whom seemed ultimate class in nature" revealed Sirzechs

"What kind of level would he be? Among us devils I mean" Rias asked though Sirzechs only smirked before his image began to fade

"I'm sure you can guess, anyway, I believe you have more important matters to worry about" after the words left his lips did the demonic hologram vanish with a soft crack leaving a silent Rias Gremory in her own depressing thoughts

He was right... she did have other things to worry about, but she still had too many question left unanswered

**-XxXxXxX-**

"My, My, I didn't know you two could move so slowly" I taunted as I swiftly "slapped" away a downward strike from Irina and side stepped a strike to my right from Xenovia

For the last two hours I had been, for lack of a better term, dancing around the two younger exorcists like a professional dancer straight from dancing school, normally this would have ended a while ago but due to my sensei like attributes I had opted to stretch the drill longer as a form of punishment for their previous blunder on their operation

I'm sure they realized this after the hour mark as their fatigue was becoming evident but I wasn't about to let this lesson end just yet

*Huff* *Huff*

The sound of lagging breathe echoed through the empty training room as both Irina and Xenovia both fought to capture their breathe, tried but failed

Two hours of constant battle would take it out of almost everyone; I guess this just showed how far they had yet to go to reach me in skill

"What is the *huff* Meaning of this father Isaac...? We've been going *huff* at this for hours, why the long *huff* *huff* long training?" questioned Irina as the confusion didn't leave her, Xenovia on the other hand seemed to understand why however.

"I think your partner knows why, why not ask her" I replied cryptically, turning to Xenovia, Irina asked the pending question

"What does he mean Xenovia?" she asked as she noticed the bluenette start to shake slightly in comedic fashion

"She told you, didn't she?" Xenovia looked slightly fearful at the revelation of the past events

"Maybe...maybe not" I teased as I leapt from my position, my sudden burst in speed must have shocked the two as I had yet to move since we started this little session but when I finally did the two didn't even get their weapons up fast enough

_**WOOOSSHH!**_

At speeds un-traceable by the human senses the two Vatican operatives found themselves both pinned, Irina found the scabbard of my sword lying comfortably behind her neck and Xenovia found the blunt side of my Zetsurin sword to her throat

"Let's take a look at this in retrospect" I started while keeping the two in the locked position "from what I remember, you two were tasked with neutralizing a vampire...A simple task for two exorcists but it's a different story when its executed with... brash action"

The two ceased in their struggle to escape my trap when my tone became that of a teacher, the two could be rebellious at times but even then they understood the concept of learning from a senior as the words from a person with experience can prepare those with none

"Mistakes happen, its life really anything can happen at any given time and sometimes it happens at the worst possible situation imaginable" the two grew down casted expression's by my pity speech but that was dashed when I released them from my lock and proceeded to bonk them in the head lightly with my scabbard

"Ow, what was that for?" whined Irina as she and Xenovia rubbed their heads in mild discomfort

Sheathing my blade I replied with a simple shrug before continuing my little lesson

"Anyways, what I was trying to teach you in our little sparring match was a simple lesson I myself learned a while ago, it's a meager concept but its long lasting effects can help you progress to a professional skill set" at my words the two fell into line so to listen

"Normally, a person put in a dangerous situation can act on pure instinct alone but that can sometimes lead them into even more dangerous situations... my training will help in keeping brash decisions from arousing" after I finished the two looked to each other before Xenovia responded

"So, this will be like adrenaline training" she said as if it was as clear as day, clapping my hands I smiled at her words

"Precisely, its true adrenaline helps in neutralizing high amounts of pain but it also causes you to act on pure base instinct and some choices made appear unreasonable" for a moment the two processed the training concept before it dawned on them

However, before I could continue with the training we were interrupted

From the training room entrance stood archbishop Arndell whom looked both solemn and slightly desperate, his middle age showed his urgency as being visited personally was a massive red alert in my mind

"Archbishop Arndell!?" the two behind me said in urgent surprise as they quickly kneeled in respect, I however looked more confused by his sudden appearance _outside_ his office

Something _big_ was up

"You may rise children" he said with only small amounts of politeness, his gruff tone sounded far too quick in pass to warrant an at ease persona

"What seems to be the problem, archbishop?" I asked in a calmer tone

"Father Blackburn, I need you in my office immediately" he said while looking to me with urgent eyes, he then quickly looked to the two other exorcists in the room

"If you two aren't already assigned to a task consider yourselves reassigned to mine, come with me" after his words left his mouth both my eyes as well as Xenovia's and Irina's widened considerably

Archbishop Arndell was the overseer for only a select few that including me, and his operations usually went over everyone else's as they were the far more important ones, the fact Arndell had asked both Irina and Xenovia to tag alone, keep in mind the two were both unqualified to reach his command yet was a direct sign that he was strung out for man power

Or this was something else completely

Nodding to the man's words, I looked to the two behind me and gestured them to follow, for some reason the two looked shell shocked but when I looked to them, they looked to me for advice to which my aforementioned gesture caused them to fall in line behind me as I followed the urgent archbishop to his office

**-XxXxXxX-**

For some reason the walk to the Archbishops office took longer than normal but that was because my mind was rolling a mile a minute and judging by the small whispers from the two behind me guessed that they were probably asking themselves what was going on as well

For an archbishop to personally summon you... well... some sh_t was going down, nuff said

But what could do this, or what was up

All I knew was that my questions will be answered soon...

A couple minutes later and we found ourselves in the office of the archbishop, whom wasted no time to getting down to business; however I couldn't help but criticize his actions up to this point

For a hardass he really needed to steel away his nerves so to keep that reputation, his actions just reminded me that I wasn't working for a black ops unit in a military but a church that had a public reputation of being the peace keepers and most of the churches staff were actually civilian, Arndell included

"What is the problem archbishop?" I asked so to catch the man's attention

For a minute he quickly skimmed through his papers before finding a letter, wordlessly he handed it to me, taking the letter I skimmed over it

The letter read like this:

_To archbishop Arndell,_

_For speed prepossess I'll make this quick—the heretic's have attack our noble cathedral in London! We don't know the circumstances on the attack but we have suffered loses, we have been cleared by the royal embassy that assistance would be greatly appreciated._

_Send your best_

_Regards, st. Paul's cathedral, London, England_

After skimming the contents of the short but informative letter I looked to Arndell

"When did this occur?" I asked

"An hour ago, the letter was the only form of awareness we've received" he replied while sifting through his papers

Handing the letter over to Xenovia I kept my slew of questions rolling "I take that we are the only form of response you have?" I asked, archbishop took a solemn nod before replying "Yes, every other operative is over sea's dealing with other operation's to deep to abandon so you three will be my response unit" pausing a moment he looked to the two other exorcist's

"I'm handing you a large responsibility, are you up for the task?" his question carried more meaning to the two then he realized as not a second after did the two kneel down low

"We are at your command, archbishop"

"That's good to hear, rise" after the two rose from their kneeling positions I smiled to them for a quick second before turning back to the archbishop seriously

"London, England, st. Paul's cathedral" I said to which he just nodded, without anymore words the three of us turned and left the bright office each of us determined to complete our new joint task

**-XxXxXxX-**

_**A couple hours earlier/ London, England/ st. Paul's cathedral/ time 12:34 Pm**_

Standing at a height of 6' 1" was a man whom looked to be a young boy with black hair, his attire looked to be mostly all black in color as well, his long over coat was draped over his black dress shirt and grey vest underneath while he wore dark colored dress pants and dress shoes.

His pace was brisk and carried a commanding edge to it that caused a few people to stare to which he returned it with a smile

His destination was obvious; st Paul's massive structure loomed over the teens head like a monolith

"Such a fine building" he muttered while walking into the structures interior

To say the building was massive would've been the biggest understatement, the interior was massive, and in the middle of the cathedral was a huge open space filled with various paintings located on the roof and candles

For the most part the teen ignored the attractions and continue towards the main alter in the room far from him

Walking through the massive dome in the middle of the cathedral the black haired man passed the unlit candles near a table; however every single one of them became ignited when he passed them by

As the teen grew closer to the alter the dark cathedral began to become even darker by the teens every growing proximity to the alter however his pace was halted by a voice from behind him

"Hello?" called out a soft voice, turning towards the voice the young man saw a young brunette women whom seemed too shy to describe

"Hello" he replied politely

"Um... the cathedral is closed right now so, would you kindly follow me?" she asked, however she nearly jumped when the teen she was speaking to was directly in front of her, a soft smile adoring his expression all the while

"Mister?" she asked in confusion

"That's too bad, I was hoping to enjoy the wonderful art, perhaps you could make an exception" he replied while looking into her eyes, the women seemed to become lost in them before all light in her eyes was drained and empty eyes remained

"I'll take that as a yes" he said with a darker tone as the emotionless women wordlessly walked past the man and towards the alter from across the room, the teen smiled at her when she stopped at the altar and place her hands together in prayer form

After mumbling a phrase a secret alter opened from the floor to the man's right

"Good girl" he said as he patted the girls head affectionately before the two walked into the passage way all the while leaving the door open

From within the secret alter door lead a stair case that spiraled cloak wise, for a good moment the emotionless sister led the black haired teen down the stairs before they finally reached a room with various symbols on the doors framed as well as the door itself

At the sight of the door the black haired teen stopped along with his accomplice whom remained emotionless and numb

"Now that's trouble some... if only I had a sister to help me, oh wait, I do Hehehe" the teen said with a dark tone of comedic fashion, leaning to the girls level he whispered a single phrase into her ear before the sister stepped towards the door and opened it with only minor effort, however the girls hands sizzled when she made contact but judging by the lack of pain acknowledgement she didn't seem to be affected

Once the door was opened the girl stopped to look to her hands emotionlessly, however her level of care ceased as she simply dropped her hands to her side and remained in place

"This may sting a little bit" said the teen before his entire form transformed into that of a black cloud of smoke not a second later did the black smoke mold directly with the girl's body

For a second she remained immobile but after a while she smiled with a dark expression, eyes blazing with orange fury

Keeping the expression on his/her features the sister walked into the room with her entire form smoking with a black substance however the smoking effect faded when the symbols in the room faded away leaving the runes effects useless

For a few minutes the girl searched the room's contents before her eyes fell on a second door with glass walls, luckily for him/her the door didn't have any runes etched into the foundation but what was worse was the five priest's inside of the glass room but that didn't seem to detour the man who was possessing the women as he instead smiled with savage glee

Walking up to the entrance of the glass cube the possessed girl took notice of a capsule directly in the middle of the room, and each priest was doing various research duties on it

With a loud whine the metal door hissed open alerting those within the glass cube, and for some reason they were unhappy with the disturbance

"This room is off limits, leave immediately or be branded a heretic!" ordered the man two the girls left, the others also looked like they wanted to word their displeasure but they froze at the cold laugh that escaped the girls lips

"**HEHEHEHE!" **the laugh sounded distorted as the echoic tone etched with the girls innocent tone made an ominous aura fall upon her features

The black smoke around the girl sprung to life as its black inky form left the innocent girl to fall to the floor with a look akin to pain; the rooms occupants noticed this and looked to the girl before they looked to the black smoke that took over the other haft of the glass room's interior

All sound ceased as the five priests's looked to the black smoke with fear, after a minute of staring a single priest reached into his collar and pulled out a crucifix but his action stopped when his throat clenched up as if he was being choked

"**Now now, let's not get hasty here—the parties only just starting" **the black smoke began to twist and condense until the man from before finally took shape, but this time his eyes were burning embers of orange

"**Now would all you kindly...DIE!" **

**-XxXxXxX-**

**A/N: hello **

**Now I'm gonna start by quickly apologizing with the long wait, things are getting hectic here as I've become busy but before that I'll address a few things about the stories next path**

**I've gone to great lengths to create a unique character and story as the resurrection ones have grown like weeds in this story section and so I'll be including many things that will spicen this universe up considerably (the rant builds up...) anyways**

**Qweenashleyfox****: you called it, since Isaac left the Gremory territory I've been cooking up an original arc that connects the Kokabiel arc together... they never really did delve into that in the anime (rant intensifies) so I saw to it as a wide open net to shoot myself a unique arc... I'm even adding in a substitute OC for ol freed as, well, he's dead (good riddance) hope you like the arc anyway ;)**

"**Vegeta what does the scanner say about Derek's rant level?"**

"**It's over 9000!"**

**-Rant levels exceeding baseline parameters-**

**High school DxD Born has literally taken WTF to a whole other level I mean they transcended from it to a level similar to "I was gonna clean my room... until I got high"**

**Yeah high as f_ck is more like it!**

**Ok this is when I start tearing sh_t up**

**So episode eight came along and I was like "huh? Should I? Ah screw it, I started this I'm gonna see it through"**

**During the episode Diodora Astaroth starts doing sh_t that would normally cause everyone on this planet to turn his face into a bubbling paste if we got our hands on him**

**What does issei do you ask? Well after punching him a few times he decides to spare the little sheet like any other cliché character we see in anime these days**

**I'm sick and tired of these devils acting more human than we are I mean his ass should have been castrated with a broken beer bottle but nooooo, its more human to leave a piece of shieeet like Diodora alive cause we're good devils**

**Are-are you serious? **

**Every fucking anime character always follows that dumbass way of ideals—lawful good, which I'm sick of and I know you guys are too, and to add to that every female character always falls for it like it's some god send, seriously its getting extremely old Japan**

**The balance between good and evil in anime is so off balance that every villain makes you want to beat their mothers to death with their family dog but the protagonist's, the ones who SHOULD be conveying our anger always go**

"**Nah, I'm gonna let you live" and then leave our anger to boil over like an unanswered boner**

**No, just no, fairy tale is painful enough with all the "spare your enemies and they become friends" bullsh_t (Glares at Minerva with great levels of malice) **

**Juggernaut drive was hawt though I'll give them props for that... f_ck you Shalba **

**Then episode 10 comes along and meh its ok, a little bit of dialogue to grind out the confusion and then WHAT DA FUCK RIAS?!**

**Honestly...wat**

**Does that happen in the light novels? If it doesn't then High school DxD **** smoke weed every day**

**Ok so after Rias or as I caller know "pair of tits #1" goes down the "damsel in distress routine" we're left with issei being more confused than a drunk man after a night at the stripper club**

**No anger Bruh? Come on pair of tits #1 just went rouge and you want to be harem king, here are some tips: when they step outta line... YOU GOTTA SLAP SOME HOES!**

**I know I sound like I'm coming across as the wife beater kind but I'm just trying to explain what it takes to be a pimp king**

**Anyways episode 12 helped me learn why pair of tits #1 went all dumbasses on me in the first place, **

**She wanted issei to put her on a first name basses**

**(Brain erupts)**

**I was so pissed that I just dropped all my sympathy for pair of tits #1, its just gone**

**I mean seriously? After that every time she pulled the longing expression I could help but roll my eyes and proceed to give zero F_ck's about her feelings**

**Get back in the line women, we all know Rosswiess is taking the stage next couple episodes so get your ass to the back of the harem bus**

**And another thing, it's the third season issei get laid already**

**Anyone else on the planet would've gotten it on the fifth episode yet your ass still rolls the dense idiot like it's some kind of ongoing comedy that doesn't seem to get old**

**News flash, I've been sick of it since pair of tits #1 popped into your bed in the first season, after that it's just been f_cking routine**

**I'm waiting to the point where ever time issei wakes he whips out an attendance paper and proceeds to call out the girls names in order of their debut... that would be funny **

**(Rant end)**

**Ok, I feel good now, other than my total disregard for the girl's safety (Akeno and Rosswiess excluded) as well as my psychotic hatred towards issei increasing I'm fine now **

**Anyways, I'm gonna have to inform you guys that the next chapter will be delayed, as I'm moving provinces, so that's gonna chew up an ass tone of time so I hope this chapter keeps you reeled in as I hope the long wait doesn't detour you guys from continuing**

**R&amp;R mates**

**And in the mean time I'm watching cowboy bebop... peace**


	5. the Hunt Begins: Part 2

_ "The movement of the soul along the path of duty,_

_ under the influence of holy love to god,_

_constitutes__ what we like to call good works" -Thomas Erskine_

**-XxXxXxX-**

**-with Isaac and co. On route to st. Paul's cathedral via private Vatican jet/ time: 4:00 am-**

**-Isaac's POV-**

I knew this operation Arndell had given me was high up on the quick response list; the sudden letter from the st. Paul cathedral had me fully understand that. But what had truly brought my attention forward was the Archbishop's unprofessional stature when he assigned me to it which showed me just how serious this matter was

However;

All that aside, my true surprise was his quick action on re-tasking both of mine and Griselda's apprentices, that being Xenovia quarto and Irina shidou both exceptional exorcists in their own right

But even I knew that for a task like this, one that even had Arndell acting weird, had me thinking his decision was an adlib choice on his part as they didn't qualify for this devision... but orders were orders

I had taken the liberty of searching the where-about's of my fellow exorcists before we departed and it was indeed true that they were all far to spread out to even be remotely useful, this confirmed Arndell had chosen the closest people to relate to the skill requirements needed for this operation

_Send your best_

For the most part we where, I was a humble individual but even I prided myself as a skilled exorcists and swordsmen, on multiple occasions I had been asked to train and tutor many exorcists in my sword arts and on some cases I had over heard my superiors or colleges agree that I was their best un-expendable asset in the Vatican

To put it simply good, I didn't know if I was just as good as _him _but I felt like I could relate to _him_

But that didn't mean my apprentices weren't skilled either, both Irina and Xenovia carried S rankings among their age group as they were considered the next best exorcists of the next coming generation

So to say we were sending our best would be considered an understatement.

As I sat in the passenger seat in our Vatican jet I had come to realize that at some point Irina had grow increasingly joyful of our situation

_At least she's still herself_

Her past was far different then her partners as she grew up in a family of mixed culture, I didn't fully know what culture she was related to but Japanese was an easy answer to that one side of her

At a young age she had been raised by her mother and father, both healthy in their daily lives as a Christian and as it turned out her father had been a member of the Vatican but had to retire some time in his forties

All this had weighed down positively on her because some time down the road she had long since been dreaming of becoming a fully fledged exorcists like her father was, she even wanted to surpass him and become a holy sword wielder

Guess she was gaining on her dream

"~I still can't believe it~" she sang out in happiness "to be given such and honor from the archbishop- it has to be the workings of the lord"

"Calm down Irina" came Xenovia's ever serious voice "an honor or not, we must approach this mission seriously"

As instead of being detoured by Xenovia's serious tone Irina quickly sported a joyful and an oddly adorable expression of determination "Yes, an honor such as this must be taken seriously!"

As Irina and Xenovia converse I remained silent, this was normal for me, silence helped me cope with the 'butterfly' effect one feels before an event such as a sport or competition that held any form of weight on them

The feeling was normally for me but that was barely even noticed because I felt a greater emotion

_Confusion_

This was the emotion passing me through as of this moment of calmness; I was confused for one reason. The simple fact that the heretic's had not only attack a church but one that was located in the city; this was bad, terrorist attacks on churches usually ended with a public out cry

No, no, no, public interference when it came to situations involving exorcists usually meant a very dangerous chance of letting the pubic see the true world, attacks on churches that involved the supernatural were... messy

i was just wonder why they would do it?

I just hoped those at st. Paul knew crowd control or this was gonna suck

"Senpai?" came Irina's questioning voice, blinking once in confusion for being called out suddenly and second for the "senpai" title that which I quickly dismissed and Instead looked to her apologetically

"Hm?" I hummed in question; my thoughts had clouded my awareness of my surroundings

"I was just wonder what you think would be our first step, seeing as though you have more experience we have decided to follow your lead"

Nodding my head in acknowledgement I quickly skimmed over my options, this wasn't anything I couldn't handle, and leadership responsibilities came naturally for me so with the wide experience reservoir I had I skimmed over the most common scenario

"This isn't a QRF operation as the target that which had attacked has most likely moved on, our primary objective is recconisance so we can learn what were up against, the letter mentioned "heretic" so I'm guessing either fallen or rouge priests" the two listened intently as I instructed our first objective

**[QRF- Quick reaction force]**

"Once we land I want that cathedral locked down but that's if they haven't done that yet, if they have then move on to finding key witnesses, we are from the Vatican, our authority takes precedence meaning you can approach anyone be it a bishop of an archbishop. They asked for help, so we will" once I was done my little briefing both Xenovia and Irina looked both awe struck and determined to full fill my orders

They put me in charge so I gotta acted like it

"What will you do in the mean time?" asked Xenovia, seriousness fully locked and loaded "while we lock down and secure information what will you do?"

"I'll search the attack sight; see if I can dig up something they've missed, their a Cathedral so their bound to have had something to piqué the attackers interests"

"Right" and with that Xenovia tightened the strap holding her massive clothed weapon behind her and quieted down

"I'll do my best senpai!" chirped Irina joyfully all the while securing her Vatican issued katana behind her large white cloak and soon she quieted down as well

Seeing as though we still had time to spare, I took inventory of my gear, holy water and light grenades and a few other utilities I saw fit to take on with this operation, I didn't need much as I was proficient in other degrees of combat so seeing the need of too much gear kinda made me feel like a catholic badass far to a equipped to practice the "peace be with you" shtick

After taking my inventory I leaned back and watched over my two new partners, I didn't take much time for me to realize they looked nervous, the "butterfly" effect can make you feel that way after all, Xenovia looked far too serious to be considered human and looked more like a robot and Irina wasn't talking like she normally was, I didn't know her preparation routine very well but I knew for a fact she was a "talker" so to see her silent confirmed my suspicion

"You two nervous?" I asked suddenly, I got two reactions, Xenovia flinched slightly; it was hard to notice but I did and Irina became flustered but she didn't say much as instead her intertwined hands that encompassed her crucifix became the most interesting thing to her

I knew I was right...

Without a word I left my chair and walked over to kneel before the two female exorcists, for a moment they looked confused but that quickly changed when I placed my hand on Irina's hands and my other over Xenovia's

The two held mild blushes at my physical contact but I ignored it

"This is the first time you guys have been tasked with something bigger then you isn't it?" I asked calmly, a second later and they nodded. Completely silent

"Take it from me, Nervousness isn't easy especially when it's about something you know is gonna be a challenge" I started while gently rubbing their hands "just know that you've got me watching your back... alright?" I said reassuringly

For a moment Xenovia and Irina processed my words before smiling warmly to me, well Irina did Xenovia simply cocked a small smile of gratitude, one that seemed to be rather rare on her features, once I felt like I made my point I gave them a comforting squeeze before I stood up

We had an hour before we would arrive so with that thought I returned to my seat before allowing myself to relax, the flight wouldn't be long enough to induce jet lag so that was comforting but I knew a good nap would do me wonders. All this hype had my nerves tense

**-XxXxXxX-**

We arrived at the airport in record time, after my previous operation from Italy to Japan this flight felt like a car ride in comparison, that and the jet, damn I love flying in that thing, made me feel like I was whisked away on a fluffy cloud

Aside from my petty love for private jets I dropped all unnecessary shenanigans and proceeded to our private car ride to st. Paul's cathedral, the ride was lengthy but nothing to painful and as we drove to our destination our driver and temporary informant, father James, explained the situation to us thus far

He explained that the main damage done was internal as instead of external damage meaning the attack had commenced from within, I had asked if they knew who had attacked but father James said that was still the big question they had as well, this had brought a few theory's in mind, Irina worded her thought's along the idea of a small rouge priest incursion had taken place, father James, seemed to agree but I still felt I needed to address the scene personally to decipher if that was the case

Xenovia, however, believed fallen angels were the culprats because normally every church and cathedral always had a handful of exorcists to help deal with possible attacks and the fact they requested assistance not alone brought that idea more credit but it also caused Irina to question if these exorcist were getting the proper training needed to protect these locations

Soon we arrived at the cathedrals back entrance in due time, father James escorted us to the main entrance hall where we could see the damage done, after that he wished us luck and proceeded to his duties somewhere else

"I think fallen angels is our best answer here" muttered Irina as she stared wide eyed at the damage done

Various degrees of destruction was strewn about all over, craters of various sizes were located all throughout the main hall as well as the many pews were tossed and dishevelled, some were even split in haft, what also caught my eye, or anyone else's for that matter, was the level of blood all over the place, it was in drag marks and splatters all over, their shapes differing to small splatters to human size empathizing a battle had rage in this room, but by the number or body bags I guessed this was instead a massacre

"I'm starting to agree with Xenovia" muttered Irina whom seemed disturbed, placing my hand on her shoulder "don't look Irina" I advised making her turn away from the scene "Xenovia take Irina and ask around for witnesses, survivors, anything that can shed some light on our mystery target" with my orders the two walked off to search for anything that could help me decipher this scene

As the two walked off I turned around to begin my investigation, walking past most of the destruction I approached the main door to the cathedral, once I stood there I looked over the doors frame for any sign of decay due to malicious intent exposure but I found none, the reason I came her first was obvious for investigating attack scenes of the supernatural degree

If this was an operation carried out by a group of rouge priest's like Irina believed then their unskilled ability at decreasing the output of their malicious intent then the doors frame would show signs of decay, but they weren't so that had left them ruled out from my culprit list, for now anyway

Before I could continue my investigation I was approach by an average sized man about 35 to maybe early forties, he had a cleanly shaved beard with short dark brown hair, his eyes carried many emotions the biggest being tired, saddened, and angered, each of them completely understandable

"Are you father Blackburn of the Vatican?" he asked politely I could sense a feeling of doubt in his voice and who could really blame him, remember, I look no older then maybe eighteen, seventeen so seeing me here was really hard to believe

"Yes I am, are you the bishop?" I replied, he straightened up quickly when he seemed to realize his blunder, thankfully he didn't make a scene and instead quickly composed himself

"U-uh, R-right... anyway, yes! I am the bishop of this cathedral the names Joshua Oliver, but please call me _bishop_ I wouldn't want to release my name out loud, with this attack I've grown on edge" he said sounding nervous

"Of course" I replied simply dropping the desire to say "you just did"

"Is there anything I can do to assist you father Blackburn?" he asked, this makes things easier; thankfully, the bishop knew who was in charge. For a second I thought of what I could ask for but I shook my head after a while

"Not at the moment, right now I'm looking for anything I can use to figure out who or what did this" then I realized I did have a request "I may actually have something I may need" I said causing him to turn back to me

"What is it?" he asked

"Is there any critical spots of interest within this cathedral? sacred paintings of historical purpose? Holy alters? Anything that could pique the heretic's interest?" after my slew of questions the bishop stopped to think

For a bishop he was hardly even informed of his own building, then again this man was probably a duplicate or fake for the real bishop's safety, that would explain his lack of relative information

Shaking his head wordlessly the bishop worded 'no' leaving me to grumble silently, I had haft expected this to be the case. As I said a while back, most of the churches upper brass were civilian while only a handful were actually former exorcists so whenever something like this occurred you can be sure upper management's gonna take precautions, neither me nor my fellow colleges liked this cause whenever we respond to smaller terrorist strikes on churches most of the upper echelon are all ready hiding a continent away leaving the un-informed as our guides

It's annoying on several levels.

Anyways, with the "bishops" answer wafting in the air like a horrible odder I quickly jumped to the next sight on my list, walking a few feet I found myself in the middle of the cathedrals main hall, its massive dome-like roof hovered over my head showing me its grand architecture, however, the various religious depictions were completely ruined with spider web cracks all over the roofs foundation, many candles were strewn about all over as the table's they were previously on were destroyed

This was far to destructive for a group of rouge exorcists, even if they did manage this I would have been informed that the heretic's had at least suffered a loss but considering I haven't been told that meant if this was rouge exorcists then they were good but I had all ready ruled that out as the lack of malicious decay proved they hadn't been the ones to attack, the next one was fallen angels

They were the one race that was hard to track, it was normal for them to leave various feathers in their wake but the feathers decayed at an accelerated rate once they landed so all I could wish for was a holy light detector but I didn't gear myself with one

Before I could grunt my disappointment at my lack of prep I noticed Irina approaching me without Xenovia. Good timing

"Find anything?"

"Xenovia's following a lead right now so I came to assist you until then" she replied causing me to nod

"Quick question, do you happen to have an energy detector on you?" I asked, my answer was the aforementioned device being place in my view

"Looks like you guys prepared better than I did; I didn't even think of bringing one of these" Irina giggled lightly at my laid back tone. Taking the device from my assistant I examined it before proceeding

Its shape was like a speed gun but extremely downsized to looked like a heat gun used to measure boiling water, however, its heat gun appearance became far more unique with the small screen that pops out from its left side

"Let's see here..." I muttered before I pressed the ED's trigger, this caused the screen to blink on allowing me to see into the ethereal plane, since the ED was small its level of perception into the ethereal world was limited to only energy signatures, "sigs" for short and each one was color coded

White or yellow was holy light of any degree, if it wasn't blinding then it was a fallen angels light, red was obviously for the devils and Youkai as they used devil energy and blue was spirits

"What do you see?" asked Irina who was inspecting the debris around me

I was silent for a second while I skimmed over the various paintings on the roof, so far I wasn't seeing any energy signatures at all, and the only thing visible was the paintings. nothing of any relative importance

"I don't see anything. There isn't any light residue" I answered after double checking the ED's screen

"Maybe there's something else we can scan... try the candle tables, maybe whatever attacked made contact with them" at Irina's subjection I quickly pointed the ED gun at the destroyed tables. My doubts were confirmed when the tables were completely untouched by any form of energy but my eyes widened when the small screen picked up a _black_ energy signature

"Got something" I called out, Irina's eyes shined at my words before she walked over to see what I had found

"Mean anything to you?" I asked, technology wasn't my forte so I barely delved in its uses on the field, I knew stuff about the archives but that's different

"Black? I've never heard of an energy signature that's black in color... have you?" her confusion only seemed to increase my own as I shook my head while I observed the melted candle that was radiating a black smoke-like energy signature

I felt a peculiar need to experiment my findings, it's common for the color black to represent high amounts of malicious intent, pure evil, if that made it sound easier. This meant that whatever had gone through here had a black heart

"And the light shines in darkness; the darkness comprehend it not" I remembered the first time I had used this enchantment, its secondary purpose helped locate heavy amounts of evil, even in residue form

"E-Eh?" Irina blinked a few times when she noticed my eyes glowing white

"I'll teach you this later but for right now follow me" I fought the urge to slap myself right now, Irina and Xenovia didn't have clearance to know what this was and I had just whipped it out like it was normal

_Smooth Isaac, real smooth_

Seeing as though my self-loathing wasn't important I dropped it and gazed over to the candle, sure enough the black residue was noticeable and to add to my discovery a trail of it was also seen

Gesturing for Irina to follow I began to walk after the trial.

As I was following the trail I began to notice more black smoke all over the cathedral, its residual effects were much more faded and spotty then my path, it was seen all over the pews, the alters and even the main pedestal that which I was walking towards the only reason I knew this trail was a path was due its constant stream

The path ended when I stepped towards a wall directly to the left of the alter, for a moment I thought that was it but seeing as though the black smoke went _into_ the cracks of the wall had me guess he or she had actually learned of a passage way here

"Hold it! You can't go in there!" yelled a male voice, turning to its source I say a young man about twenty with black hair come running up to both me and Irina

"That room is off limits" he said again

"On whose order?" came my returning question, I had long since dismissed my enchantment in favor of not increasing my blunder

"By order of the bishop" he said seriously, of course it is, but which one? The duplicate or the real one? Judging by this man's seriousness I guessed it was probably the latter. Figures

"Sorry father, but we have orders from the Vatican to investigate this tragedy, our authority takes precedence" the words of Irina seemed to do the trick

Took the words right outta my mouth Irina

"Y-your f-from... The V-Vatican!?" like I said, mine and Irina's age seemed to make people think we were plain ol exorcists straight from scholar school. Guess I should get a name tag... or a business card, I'm starting to sound like a broken record

"M-my apologies... I didn't realize _you _were father Blackburn" he said with a stutter, he was probably thinking along the lines "why did they send kids?"

Sometimes I hate my ageing process...

"There isn't a need to apologise, I can understand our... appearances, may bring confusion - so your previous actions are justified"

"You are to kind father Blackburn" he said while bowing to me thankfully

.

.

.

"So are you gonna let us through?" I asked after a minute of awkward silence.

"O-oh! My apologies" with a nervous smile the priest quickly walk/jogged towards the alter before muttering a chant, once the chant was completed the "secret" door opened which revealed a set of spiralling stairs

"As I stated before this room is off limits so I'll haft to remain, my status isn't high enough to grant me access, but you two however can enter" said the priest

"Thank you"

"~thank you father~" I noted Irina's childish tone had returned

"Guess well check this out then" commented Irina as I simply reactivated my enchantment

"We are defiantly following the right path, that black energy's practically flooded the entire stair way" i said while walking down the stair case

"I feel dirty"

"You make it sound like you've been in something similar" I commented humorously

"Sewers infested with wraiths' have the same feeling you know!" she said defending herself

"Touché"

It took us only a few minutes before we finally reached a door with various designs all around its frame however they seemed to be painfully faded and looked extremely old

'_Runes are faded, heavy amounts of black energy, seems these were forcefully negated'_

Running my hands along the runes I felt the familiar cold sensation one would feel when touching something heavily affected by evil energy

"_I'm not waiting for those snobs from the Vatican to get here! They'll figure this out before we can finish out job so I'll finish this myself!" _yelled a male voice, what was that about?

"Senpai" called out Irina as she gesture for me to regroup on her. Seems she heard it to

I took one last glance to the runes before I jogged over to Irina where I noticed two priests's arguing in front of a cube shaped structure that was covered in a large tarp, after a few seconds I quickly processed the words I had previously over heard

"Let's go" I said to Irina before walking into the room, my appearance quickly caught the attention of the two, one turned to me calmly while the other stopped before he could reach the cube, my guess was that the cube must've been a sectioned off room, the large tarp covering it must mean it's another attack sight

"You must be the members of the Vatican" began the calm looking priest; I noted a rather strange edge in his tone "we were informed you would be arriving here soon"

"Yes, we moved as soon as we received the letter" from the corner of my eye the second priest simply rolled his eyes and then I knew for a fact he was gonna bother me

"Can you give us a rundown of what happened?" asked Irina while appearing from behind me, the first priest seemed mildly surprised while the more unstable priest looked even more pissed then before

"A massacre happened; thought that would be obvious" snapped the second priest

"Silence fool!" retorted the first priest while he glared at the second priest

The man clicked his tongue before falling silent, sighing to himself the first priest turned back to me with an apologetic expression

"Please forgive my college, all this commotion has gritted on all of our nerves" he said, I simply nodded while Irina did the same

"As to answer your question ma'am... we don't really have any solid leads, almost everyone had perished in the ba-massacre the night before, we don't have any eye witnesses or survivor's to help shed light on who did this" he informed

"All we do know is that it was one person, if it was a large scale attack then the damage would've been far more... extensive" added the second priest, his tone carried heavy amounts of anger

Before I continued my investigation I noted the second priests stature, he was moderately toned, for a priest he must've prided himself in exorcise, his age opened a possible window that he may be a retire exorcists, early retired is more like it. He didn't look no older than thirty or maybe late twenties

_Most likely the temper is what got him a short career_

This was dually noted; the man's attitude so far brimmed unstable, and his last comment or snap to Irina showed he didn't exactly like and or respect his superiors or he was just an ass in general...

Not that I didn't totally respect my superiors but I still kept face, if he was my superior I would have already asked him to restrain any more comments lest he be emotionally compromised, almost like Arndell

Actually, he's far more compromised then the archbishop

"How did you guys learn it was only one person, I thought you said there were no survivor's?" my comment must've sprung something as the minute those words left my mouth the first priest tensed while the second narrowed his eyes ever so slightly

"W-when the attack occurred word reached a church somewhere outside the city, they learned a few things during the attack, including the number of attackers that being just one, before we could learn anything more our contact was lost with the cathedral" explained the first priest, I noted a slight stutter in his words making me raise an eye brow but I kept my tongue

This seemed plausible. In an event where a church is attacked the contingency is to relay a message to a neighboring church and inform them the identity of the attackers, their numbers and most of all, their fraction

"I take it the only thing you could learn was the number of attackers?" I said while asking for confirmation, nodding the second priest agreed "so both the identity and fraction relations are still unknown"

My comment was mostly directed to myself in a thought like context, this situation was growing in seriousness, first the black energy sig and now we knew it was only one person, a part of me thought that their words was far to "deep" for them to figure that out on their own, before we left I had extensively questioned Arndell so to get all possible levels of knowledge before leaving

One of the question's I had asked was if there was any chance the cathedral got word out but Arndell said that no one received any transmission of an attack, he even confirmed it through his connections and learned the attack had only been live for a solid 4-5 minutes, far too quick for word to break loose

Something's up

Everything these priests had said contradicted the information I had received from the archbishop, the only thing keeping me from whipping out accusations was the fact they were in the loop, they knew we were coming, so I felt they at least knew most of what was going on, but that obvious lie and reaction had me hold doubts

"Irina, take a look around and see if there's anything they've missed, imma contact Xenovia and see if she's found anything with her lead" turning to the two priests I nodded "if you would excuse me"

After that the two priests fell in silence while Irina went off to examine the room's interior while I left the threes presents entirely

Once I was alone in the hallway I whipped out my cell phone and dialed a number, the line rung for a moment before a familiar female voice was heard

[Hello?]

"Xenovia" I said simply, my voice alone would answer who was calling her

_[Isaac?... Never mind, I'm glad you called. I've followed a lead on what may have happened here, turns out the cathedral had security cameras all around the complex as well as the interior, I'm reviewing the findings now]_ she informed with that usual tone of seriousness

I nodded "good call, me and Irina followed an energy signature we found in the cathedrals main hall" there was a pause on the other side of the line before she replied

_[What color was it?]_ she asked, huh, for a moment there I thought I detected a hint of childish curiosity

"It was black; I don't normally use ED guns so I didn't know what that color code meant. I asked Irina but she didn't know what it was either... have any idea?"

_[Hmm... I haven't used an ED gun as much either, I still remember the training but I never heard them say what black signified, though I do remember one thing, how did the energy sig move? Was it sparking? Did it flow like a fire? Or was it an orb?]_ she said while relaying a large sum of questions

"it didn't move like any of those description's" I said with a shake of my head "It moved like a cloud of smoke, it was in patches all around the cathedral, the only thing we found that was even the slightest of leads was a consistent trail that led us into a dungeon just to the left of the main alter"

_[Are there any cameras down their? I may be able to find you]_ looking round I spotted only one camera in the corner of the main room where the two priests were standing

"Yes, can you see me?" I asked while I waved my hand at the camera, since I was behind a wall the two priests didn't see me waving

_[Now I do, there are so many screens here it was hard for me to notice you] _

"Anyways, what have you found on your end?"

_[I found a security tape of last night but the priests here say they've already skimmed over it, all they got was extreme electrical interference and a lot of screaming] _a little to informative Xenovia

"So there is no evidence on your end?" I asked to confirm

_[That remains to be. I'm still scavenging around for other tapes from yesterday from other camera sights all around the cathedral, all that tape got was the main hall] _good if that's the case then there's still a possible lead on Xenovia's end

"Alright, Irina and I will continue searching for physical evidence while you continue with the camera feeds" before I could hang up Xenovia caught my attention _[wait!]_

"What is it?"

_[Who are those two priests you are with?] _With a blessing of curiosity I peered out to see the two conversing, and by the looks of things they looked like they were arguing but it didn't seem like they were mad at each other though

"They're our informants.. Why do you-"

_[Isaac, I'm with our informants right now, they brought me to the security room so to go over the cameras footage] _what she said confirmed my previous suspicion, the words the priests had said before were truly lies, and that priests anger must've been a slip of malicious dislike towards both me and Irina

So the Heretics are here, guess that brings the possibility of them being the culprits even closer to the spotlight, but that black smoke still kept me skeptical, but for now dealing with these heathens is my top priority

"Can you cut the camera feed for this room Xenovia?" I asked seriously, if she had been watching me (she most likely was at this point) then she would have seen my sheathed Zetsurin sword materialize in my left had

_[I-I can do that... but we need one of them alive, it would be best to learn what we can from those heretics] _advised Xenovia

"All right, cut the feed" not a second latter and the flashing red light on the camera ceased

_[Done]_

Now that the camera feed was out I could act without worry. Last thing I wanted was to be seen slaying an "exorcist" in front of other exorcists as the more zealous ones would only hear what they'd want to hear

With my nerves steeled I ended the call and stepped out from the hall way I was in. The two "priests" quickly noticed my return with shocked expressions at the sight of the obvious weapon at my side even Irina seemed surprised for a moment

"Senpai... why do you have your weapon at hand?" she asked

I didn't answer her; instead I reactivated my enchantment causing my eyes to glow a fierce white before subsiding to a less blinding pitch

Looks like Xenovia was correct, the two radiated a small amount of malicious intent but I was surprised by the amount of black smoke in the room but most of all the cubed structure radiated an extremely large amount of dark energy

Forgetting the cubed structure for the time being I then focused on the surprised and frozen priests. The first, calm priest looked like he'd run while the second was sweating bullets through gritted teeth

"So... guess what I learned?" I asked rhetorically, while the first priest said nothing the second priest glared at me while clicking his tongue "looks like you two already know the answer, what I would like to know is... what your business here is?"

My tone was cold and my eyes, I knew, were much worse. If these two were involved in this then god have mercy on these heretics

Without a second to think the rude heretic whipped out an exorcists manufactured hand gun and pointed it at me, judging by his expression he was scared as well, guess that explained the lack of words

Normally a person who points a gun at you can be terrifying but I had this happen so many times it was just a thing now

"Hey Senpai? This seems troublesome" Irina worded her thoughts as she slipped to my side, she had been silent for a while but now she seemed aware of the situation. I felt bad I hadn't brought her into the loop before but I had to move quickly

"Tell me about it" I grumbled, I had made quite a few mistakes today and this was the icing to the cake

Guess it was time to make up for them

From the bottom of the sheath a white light began to run along the scabbard before it reached the handle of my blade and faded

"Leave the other one alive Irina, we need answers" I whispered

"Right"

With our priorities sharpened I pointed my sheathed sword at the gun wielding heretic

**BOOOM!**

With a thunderous thoom my blade shot out of the sheath like a bullet in a gun

"Wha?-"

**CRAAACK! **

the pummel of my fired sword rammed directly into the nose of the heretic silencing him and letting out a sickening crunching sound, the force of the blow had caused the man to reel back in pain while my sword remained suspended in mid air, once the damage had been done time slowed down to a crawl

Wasting no time I lurched forward at inhuman speeds and grabbed my suspended blade in a reverse grip and delivered a diagonal slash to the man's exposed torso from his left shoulder to his right hip, following through with my momentum I sped past the heretic and delivered a second diagonal slash to his back with a similar fashion as the first

**CLICK**

Locking my blade within the scabbard the man fell to the ground; haft the man he once was

Once the heretic with the gun was dealt with I turned back to where Irina was, unfortunately for the first "priest" Irina was skilled in agile sword play so his attempt at fleeing was literally cut shot

**SLING!**

With a quick swipe Irina left a painful gash on the fleeing exorcist's thigh rendering him immobile and causing him to collapse to the floor painfully

"You're not leaving, your heresy still needs to be answered" said Irina as she cleaned her blade before sheathing it

I had intended on doing the questioning but before I could I felt a strange energy within the cubicle to my right, it felt disturbing at first as my enchantment was still activated yet for a moment I felt a light sensation within the trapped cube, it felt like it was in pain and terrified

"Irina, can you do the questioning?" I asked suddenly

"E-eh?... I-I don't think I'm well versed in that kind of field to be of use" she said sounding nervous

"I have faith in you" I said simply, for a split second Irina's cheeks tinged pink

"W-well I-If you say it like that then..." she replied with great amounts of effort, I simply tilted my head at her childishness and smirked, her reactions to complements always were just adorable

"Well I'll hold you to it then" I said before I walked over to the glass cubicle, it was huge, its structure covered almost the entire room, I guessed the basement we were in was possibly 3000 square feet and the cubicle took up almost haft of it, bright light shined out from the seams of the tarp

I stepped towards the cubicle with anticipation written on my expression, this room had radiated an extremely huge amount of malicious energy but I felt a sliver of positive energy within, with my curiosity at its max I tore away the trap to reveal a gruesome sight

Blood... Blood was _everywhere_

The walls were caked in it as well as the floor, various desks were scattered all around in violent fashion, each piece of furniture had at least a gallon covering it as well as a few bits of what I had guessed was some ones brain matter, the shiny pink hunk of meat confirmed that, it seemed my spotting of brain matter had me finally notice the other human parts scattered all over the room, limbs were everywhere

The sight was so gruesome I had actually stepped back in disgust, this was the handy work of a fallen angel. It had to be. There were no other beings like them who actually completely destroyed their targets

"H...Hell...He...lp?" called out a voice, the tone was dry and I could sense the pain laced within it, I couldn't tell if it was a girl or man. As stated, the voice was painfully dry, add the glass muffled the voice

The source came from under a set of downed lockers to the right of the cubicle where I spotted an exposed leg, I knew who ever it was was alive because of the movements it had. I took a moment to find a door and sure enough the door I was looking for was a couple feet to my left and a control panel was to its right

Tapping the "open" button the doors gave off a soft _whoosh _noise before I was greeted by the scent of decay, all the blood had been clotted and the stench of death loomed in the air. For the most part I swatted the need to release my breakfast and pushed towards the downed lockers to my right

"I hear you! stay calm I'll get these off of you!" taking ease as to not step in something I would regret latter I made my way towards the lockers

"Th...than...k...y-you" wheezed the voice, at this time I knew it was female, but dreadfully hollow, with minor effort I lifted the downed lockers to reveal an injured sister or maiden, she was drenched in blood and so her attire was indistinguishable, her light brown hair was matted with both sweat and blood and a few stains of human bits, her green eyes looked empty with exhaustion. Poor thing probably kept herself up all night calling for help

"Don't move, let me check you for any injuries first" I instructed, the girl nodded weakly as I examined her form

She was lying face down so her back was the first thing I examined

"Ok, can you feel your legs?" I asked calmly, getting a soft nod I went for the next question

"Now, can you wiggle your toes?" I was answered by her black dress shoes moving slightly before she nodded, ok so she didn't have any back injuries so that was good. This meant I didn't need to bring any attention to us via an ambulance, she was the only survivor of the attack and being the center of attention was the last thing this girl needed. she looked terrified

I then went and slowly bent both her knee's so to have her leg's face upward, getting no whimpers of pain I classified her back as healthy. Next I examined her sides, this one would cause minor discomfort as in order to check for rib damage without being able to see the area meant I needed to assess them physically, I couldn't risk moving her or else I'd probably find an injury somewhere else I also wouldn't start tearing clothing off or that would frighten her even more then she was

Running both my hands down her sides with slight pressure I felt no disfigures nor did the girl whimper in protest. No ribs were broken, good

"Ok, I'm gonna lift you up, can you assist me?" she nodded weakly, slowly I turned her to her side before assisting her into a sitting position, I noted a gash was above her left eye and quickly pushed her matted bangs to the side to see it was clotted with no signs of infection, I still needed to clean it later but for now I needed to make sure of any other injuries

When she finally got into a sitting position I listed her physical condition, other than being completely caked in blood she looked fine but that was dashed when I noticed her hands which were severally burnt, they looked like the kind when you put your hand on a stove burner

This was second degree, I needed cold water

"Ok, can you make sure your hands don't touch anything?" I asked the answer though was strange, the girl looked to her hands in confusion before her eyes started to tear up

"I-t hu..rts, I-t hur...ts" she said hoarsely

"Irina! Get over here!" at my beckon and call Irina came racing around the corner

"what is it?!" she asked frantically before she noticed the contents of the room and cover her mouth, her eyes widened further when she noticed the girl

"I need cold water, not ice water just cold water and lots" I said while both ignoring Irina's obvious disgust with the room and holding the girls wrists, she was tearing up at the pain that she seemed to finally notice but I needed to make sure she didn't touch anything

Shaking out of her stupor Irina ran back to where she came, a few moments later and she came back with a medium sized bucket and dropped it in front of the girl, I wasted no time in dumping the hands into the cool water, I noted an audible sigh of relief on Irina's face before she looked to me, a confused expression adoring her face

"I found her under those lockers over there" I said while pointing to the lockers "I guess the lockers did actually land on her because the only serious injury is that burn and a gash, nothing I can't fix"

"alright, that means there was a survivor, but why are there stray exorcists here?" she asked while trying very hard to keep her eyes on me and not the room

"I don't know... speaking of which, did you learn anything from the stray?" Irina's expression became slightly brighter at my words; I guessed she did learn something

"Yes, turns out they had an objective here, he said they were the cleanup crew"

"Cleanup crew? But why would—oh now that makes sense" I said while I stood up from where I had been kneeling, I didn't want the girl to hear what I had to say so I gestured Irina to follow me out of the glass room

Glancing around to find the stray priest I noticed him lying against the wall, unconscious

"You knocked him out?" I asked causing Irina to shuffle nervously at my "fake" accusing tone

"U-um... when you s-suddenly called out for me I had no choice but to" she said like I was the parent while she was the naughty child

I patted her head "no worries, it's what I would've done" her expression morph to adorable confusion before it succumb to a joyful expression

"Ya" was her audible acknowledgment to the complement... rather morbid if you think about it

Kneeling to his level I snapped my fingers in his face causing him to nearly jump at the sudden _irregular _level of noise it generated

"wow... light sleeper" commented Irina as she looked on in surprise

let's go with that

"ah! Huh! What do you want, I don't know anything!" he yelled while using the oldest line in the book

"if you don't know anything then your life is of no use to me" I said dangerously causing the stray to shudder at the coldness of my tone "you should at least know what you objective was right? If not then I could-"

He interrupted me "all right, all right... we were sent here to clean up"

"Details, I need more detail" I urged while flicking out a portion of my sword threateningly, he shuddered once more before answering

"The girl!... W-we were told there w-was a girl left alive" he said, reluctant but relenting either way

Guess that confirmed it, whoever attacked had accidently forgotten he/she had left a survivor and only remembered after the fact, this was a cleanup crew that had orders to "silence" the girl

Unfortunately for them they failed

"You going to tell who ordered you to do this? Answer quickly least my patience ways thin!" I ordered causing him to reel back against the wall

"I don't no-"

Instead of threatening I moved on to physical threats, with one swift motion I grabbed him by his coat collar had hoisted him to his feet before slamming him against the wall with unnatural force

"GAK!"

"I'm gonna ask again, if you can't answer then you're done"

I noticed Irina had been standing back from me with a troubled look on her face, she may not have been this forceful and I doubt she'd ever will so seeing this was probably tough for her. Still need the information though

"Ok!" he yelled

Pushing him from my grasp I stepped back so to give him space, the man took a minute to catch his breath, before he said anything I took notice of a sigil on the left side of his neck

The base of the design was a simple circle but within the circle was a Satan star with various symbols within the stars design

The reason I hadn't noticed it before was the fact it _wasn't _there before now. I grew confused by its appearance but my interest in the sigil was answered before I could run a few skeptic questions through my head, unbeknownst to the rouge priest the tattooed sigil on his neck began to glow a powerful red while red veins began to run along his neck originating from the sigil

That's when I realized what was gonna happen

Without even so much as batting an eye I dived onto Irina who gave a sudden "yelp" at my actions. Right as soon as Irina and I hit the deck did the rogue priests head explode into red mist leaving both a headless body and red lightning like energy arcing around the neck

The body fell lifeless to the floor a second later leaving me in anticlimactic suspense and Irina in extreme shock and disgust

"What... what just happened" she questioned with a stutter

"I had a feeling that was what that sigil would do" I said more to myself

"What do you mean? I didn't see a sigil"

I didn't answer, and instead examined the downed body. The evidence of the sigil had vanished along with the head as even the nape of the neck was missing from the detonation. I grumbled, he may have had the answer I needed but now we were still in the dark on who attacker was. All that remained was the only survivor but I doubt she'd want to talk about last night anytime soon

'_Still... that sigil's sudden appearance was far too convenient' _it almost felt like it was timed or even activated just when the rogue decided to relent the information. Almost like he was silenced before speaking...

A small chill ran down my spine as the thought of us being observed passed through my mind, whom ever activated that sigil must've been aware of the situation his suburbanite was in and decided to silence him before spewing the beans

It was fleeting but I had my options, it wasn't impossible for curtain symbols of runic aspect to carry a level of connection with the wearer and it was highly possible that the sigil I saw was one of them

"Guess who ever put that sigil on didn't want any loose ends" I said while glaring at the spot on the wall wear the man's head used to be

"I still don't see that- whatever you said- to be anything related" she worded

"I take it the prophets never taught you what sigils were capable of" she shook her head softly

"Take if from this experience... if you see a sigil on anyone take a few steps back, they have a possibility of detonating at any given time" I had experienced one of these before, they usual work best on henchman as they are more inclined to speak. Dark moves usual correlate with dark intentions

"Yeah... I'll take that into consideration when I'm taking to people with tattoos" she replied sarcastically causing me to chuckle

Boy I hope Xenovia had better luck on her end, things just keep "popping" up on ours... that was bad

"Alright... so I take it the best move right now is to secure the girl?"

I nodded my head "yes, but I want to make sure the other's don't learn of this, frantic priests usually force things and I'd rather not force anything on the girl just yet" after we acknowledged our new motive we returned to where the girl was still seated, nothing much had changed other than her pained expression had morphed to a zoned out gaze

It didn't take a shrink to know she was looking past the blood and just off to space, though I still felt bad leaving her in _this _room of all places but... never mind

I kneeled in front of the girl while Irina took to just remaining _outside_ of the cubicle. the girls eyes were still hollow I guess she had passed out while siting but waving my hand pasted her face forced her back down to earth, she looked like she wanted to speak but her throat was still dry so I handed her my holy water canteen, I doubt she would've drank from the bucket, she may have been thirsty but never to the point of drinking _that_ water

She took a moment to realize what I handed her but before I felt the feeling of her grab my canteen she instead froze and began to cry softly again

"What's the matter? It's just water" I said while shaking the canteen to emphasis my words but she just kept sobbing

"I-I...Di-didn't...do...it" uh? What does she mean she didn't do it? Wait- does she think we're suspecting her of this? I highly doubt she'd be capable, she barely looked like she'd hurt a fly so why would she say that?

"just drink, you need water in order to speak properly" I advised softly, she hesitated but relented her strange fear and took a small sip, relief passed over her before she began to hastily slug back the water and in a matter of seconds did the canteen became completely empty

She breathed for a second before looking to me, she just stared at me for a moment before tears of apparent joy passed over her but she said nothing

"Can I see those hands of yours?" I asked while reaching out with mine, the girl looked surprised but she did so none the less, once her hands were outstretched I placed them within mine and a soft white light enveloped them

The girl stared in awe, I knew she was probably feeling relief from the pain in her hands cause that was what I was doing, and I wouldn't have her sit there in pain when I had something that could remedy it

After a moment of waiting and the light died down which I released to reveal that they were completely healed. The girl just stared at them before looking to me. A look of complete admiration adoring her features

"A-Are you... an angel?" she asked hoarsely, my eyes widened slightly at her words

"N-no" she didn't look convinced "but thanks for the complement anyway" I finished making her expression brighten albeit lamely, the effect of the past event was still looming in her mind and the "I didn't do it" was still looming over mine like a feeling of temptation...

That came out wrong didn't it?

"Anyways we need to-" I began but I was silenced when the girl grabbed me in a forced hug causing me to stop

"Please forgive me... oh angel... I have sinned" she said in between sobs.

There it was again, the guilty emotion she had shown before had returned and now she was holding onto me like I would vanish. I sighed softly, she had been through hell and survived, I had haft a guess she was feeling survivor's guilt.

Following gut instinct I accepted her hug and pulled her closer, experiencing something like this was a fate no one should ever experience and it showed, the sign of my acceptance to her hug had probably given her a feeling akin to forgiveness and now the tears flowed freely.

It felt like a whole hour had passed before she finally cried herself to sleep and now her ragged breathing became smooth signifying she was in fact out cold. She needed it

"Isaac... I found something" called out Irina, her tone carried both urgency as well as a hint of confusion

"Alright... gimme a second" I replied while looking for a spot to place the sleeping?... sister, yeah let's go with that. I found a small bench just outside of the cubic and placed her on it gently so to not wake her before I ran to where Irina was standing

When I arrived Irina simply gestured towards a golden cylinder that looked broken at the end, by the looks of it I guessed it was a container for something but I didn't know what it was exactly it was containing

"What about it?" I asked, there must've been something important about this thing

"Look what's leaking from it" she said, at her words I noticed a pale golden dust or sand leaking from the broken end. That's when I froze, I knew immediately what this was, running my finger through it and then bringing it to my nose I flinched away when I smelt the familiar sent of rotten eggs.

_Sulfur_ no doubt about it

"Do you know what it means?" asked Irina who seemed a little bit confused about my sudden change in expression

"Sulfur" I said simply, expression darkening

"I-I don't-"

"It means demons... a demon has been through here" I said breaking the thick ice, I turned to Irina to see her expression change to complete shock

"A devil did this?!" she said with what I sensed to be anger but I shook my head at her words

"No, a demon is completely different" I replied while rubbing my temple "take a devil and times its sin by twenty and you got a demon and add the fact their malicious intent is so powerful that they leave sulfur in their wake"

"Then if a demon did this then..." she said sadly all the while leaving the line to hang

I ignored everything and dialed up Xenovia immediately, it took a second but Xenovia answered quickly

_[Isaac?] _

"Yes... it's me" I replied simply, the discovery had left me reeling and my tone sounded distant

_[I-is something wrong Isaac?] _She asked hesitantly

"Yes, something is _very _wrong" I replied cryptically

_[What is it? What did you find] _

"I'll save that when we leave but I have better news" I felt it would be best if we discussed _that _back on the jet

_[A-alright... what's the good news]_

"We have a single survivor... by the looks of things those rogue priests were here to kill her apparently, I have my guesses that she may know quite a lot about the attacker, when I questioned who it was that sent them a self detonating sigil appeared and killed the only remaining priest before he could tell us"

_[Damn heretics... using dirty tricks like that, "heretic" suits them just perfectly] _growled Xenovia, I knew she'd be angry about that

"I can agree to that... anyways, gather all information you can, and... if it's at all possible, could you find me a set of clean sister robes?"

_[Yeah, I'll get-]_

"I don't want anyone aware of the survivor Xenovia, she's far too terrified to answer to a bunch of selfish fanatical priests who are out for vengeance" I said with a slight edge of force

_[Ok, I'll get it done] _after that reply she hung up

A few minutes later and we heard Xenovia come down the steps before she rounded the corner and stepped into the light shining from the cubicle, I noticed she had a set of robes in her hands

"Alright, here are the robes you asked for" she said while handing me the aforementioned robes and then she peered over my shoulder to see the sleeping girl "where did you find her?"

I simply pointed at the cubicle, she looked like she wanted to inspect it but I stopped her "I wouldn't if I were you" She looked confused but Irina shook her head to help alleviate Xenovia's curiosity

"Did you two find out who attacked?" Xenovia asked while I awoke the sister from her sleep

"I take it you didn't find anything?" countered Irina, Xenovia shook her head before replying

"I inspected all of the other video tapes but I only got the same result as the first one, nothing but extreme electrical interference"

The two continued conversing their finds while I escorted the tired sister to a back room so she could change... I didn't follower into the room if you're wondering.

It took her some time but she manage to clean up, the fabric her robe had been made of had been extremely well tailored as only a small amount of blood had actually gotten on her, that being her hair and her shoes, everything else was "spotless"

It have to make due, with all three of us Vatican agents down in this basement you can be sure the suspicion was probably raging above

The only way out was with a teleportation spell but that would bring more confusion then any good, the only other way was through the front door, that was our best bet but with this girl it'd be harder than normal

We'd have to smuggle our way out

"By the way I never did ask you what your name was" I said while I looked to her

"Amelia... Call me Amelia" she said meekly, she didn't mention a last name so I guessed she must be an orphan

"Alright Amelia me and my friends are gonna escort you out but I want to make sure it's discrete, alright?" I explained while I placed a veil onto her head, it covered most of her brown hair but with the blood it looked darker than normal so it could pass as "normal"

"O-ok" was her simple reply, she still looked off into space now and then but it looked like she was coming through

"Ok then, stick with me" before I knew it and the girl already had a firm grasp on my coat sleeve, nodding softly I led her back to the other two, Xenovia looked extremely troubled and went to ask me something but the sight of the girl as well as my frown of disagreement had stopped whatever she was about to say in its tracks

"We're leaving" I said seriously, the two stopped and looked to each other before nodding in a similar fashion

"You two go out first and make sure no one is around, if there is then explain to them that we have found nothing and instead we are reporting back to the Vatican, after that, meet me at the car in the back entrance" the two quickly nodded before leaving. While Amelia and I waited I noticed the golden cylinder still lying on the floor, by its design it looked important... almost like it could entice demon into stealing it

I left the idea of it being mundane aside and instead grabbed it and placed it in my coat pocket, it looked no larger than four inches so it fit in my coat pocket perfectly, I would ask about what this was later

When I felt we could go Amelia and I began our ascent back in to the cathedral.

I had been cautious before but with the seriousness of the situation I couldn't take any chances, if these priests did manage to take the girl then they'd only further damage her psychologically, asking her questions of the previous night would only hurt her more then she was now, this event had angered quite a few individuals and I knew they'd care more about learning the identity of the attacker then the psychological condition of one girl

Christian fanatics are like that

So with the girl's condition in mind I took extreme precautions

"The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil; he shall preserve thy soul" [Psalm 121:7]

The effects of the enchantment immediately took hold, normally my enchantments effected only me but with slight modifications I made it effect her instead causing Amelia to vanish in a flurry of white particles. Invisibility

You cannot harm what you cannot see; as they say

"Loosen your grip on my sleeve but kept in contact, I won't be able to hear you if you let me go" I instructed soon after and the firm grip loosened, she may be invisible but the sight of my sleeve being pulled back without someone there would look suspicious and I didn't want attention

"Alright, stay close and don't bump into anyone" when I felt it was go time I began my walk up the stairs and out into the damaged cathedral

"_N-no...n-no..."_ mumbled Amelia through my mind link with her but I ignored it

The back door wasn't too far away from where I was heading, just down the alters ally and to the left of the main hall. I didn't see Irina when I exited the basement door but I did see Xenovia explaining a few things to the "bishop" before nodded politely and parted with him and rounded to my side

"We clear?" I asked

"Yes, he was disappointed at first but I assured him we'd find whoever did this... by the way, where is the girl?"

I simply gestured behind me "She's right here" Xenovia looked confused but I simply winked to her making her relent the obvious pending question

It took us no time before we opened the door to the outside, after breathing in clean air and not the air of death the three of us rounded the corner to the back parking lot and spotted the same black car we arrived with Irina standing right beside it I even noticed our temporary informant waiting in the driver seat

"Alright, to the airport" she said to the driver before jumping into the back seat. The three of us followed soon after

**-XxXxXxX-**

The car ride back to the airport was filled with silence, Xenovia kept glancing from the floor and back to me then back to the floor a few times before she simply sighed and looked out the window, Irina had taken to her crucifix while I took to simply listening to the soft roar of the luxurious car we were driving in, I knew Amelia was still here due to her clinging to me the whole drive to the airport

I had expected her to be hesitant in leaving her "Home" but she didn't seem to complain, it was odd, usually those who grew up at churches never enjoyed leaving them but she didn't seem to care in the slightest

_I-I...Di-didn't...do...it_

Whatever her reasons I would leave them for a later date

It took us about 45 minutes to reach the airport, it was a fairly tense ride because I could practically feel Xenovia's anticipation when we reached the landing strip and boarded the private Vatican jet still park on the run way and once when were inside I finally switched off the enchantment revealing Amelia to the two other agents

"Whoa!... how did she do that" asked Irina in surprise

"She didn't do it, I did" I replied, Amelia looked like she wanted to sleep again instead of talking so I simply sat down in one of the many seats, Amelia obviously following due to her still clinging to my sleeve

The other two simply sat adjacent to my spot and looked to me with what I guessed was patience, Irina probably told Xenovia who attacked and now she wanted me to confirm her words, however that could wait until Amelia was asleep

The beginning of the flight started smoothly and when we reached the designated altitude the familiar smoothness over take the turbulence, a few minutes after and Amelia fell back to sleep which allowed me to slither out of her grasp

I had noticed when we left that I was covered in crusty blood so I took the time to find myself a clean set of church robes before returning to the ever patient duo waiting by Amelia

"So... a demon attacked the cathedral?" Xenovia all but growled out

"Yup" I replied simply, no need in sugar coating it

"I'm starting to despise the audacity of those devils, attacking a cathedral of all places..." Xenovia's apparent anger grew larger as she continued to spew angry comments about the devil race but I stopped her before she boiled over

"A devil and a demon are two different beings" I started causing the bluenette to look to me questioningly.

*sigh*

"A devil and a demon are two far different beings, the only things relatable between the two are their names and their spawn place meaning the underworld" I explained

"What's so important about the name?" asked Irina, she looked confused as well as I only gave her a small explanation before we left the cathedral

"The reason their names are important is because most of them are the progenitors of the devil's 72 pillars" at my words Irina looked terrified while Xenovia looked confused

"I thought most of the 72 pillars were destroyed during the Great War as well as the devil civil war so why would their still be a demon running around like you say it is?" she asked still in shock

"It is true that most of the pillars were destroyed as well as the demon ancestor's who created them but not all of them perished as scripted in the bible, some were captured and remain in heavens prison even today" both of the two then looked to me wide eyed leaving me confused. Did-did I say too much?

"What?" I asked confusedly

"How do you know about that?" the two asked in sync

"Know what?"

"About heaven keeping demons captive... that seems like a delicate subject, even for us" exclaimed Irina

"Oh... that's right, you two are still not used to this sort of operating" I said with a wave of my hand "the division I work under and the one you guys work under now, with the archbishop handles operations in close relation to heavens system, everything they hold that can threaten our world we carry a contingency just in case they 'slip up' so knowledge from upstairs is common for our bureau"

For a moment the two remained silent before Irina's eyes began to sparkle brightly, even Xenovia showed a gushing expression

"~oh thank you dear LORD for this great honor~" prayed Irina as Xenovia tried her hardest to hide her expression of enthusiasm

Tried... But failed

"Anyways, we learned that long ago when the Great War was taking full swing a handful of demons were captured and were locked in heavens prison, as a form of torture"

"Wait... torture? You don't mean..." Irina's doubt was evident

"Heaven has had its fair share of violent events Irina and heavens prison is no exception" I guess finding out your friendly angels were actually quiet "bleak" did have a negative effect but she had to learn this anyway

"That makes sense... heaven is a natural enemy to devils and... demons, the holy energy in their would be so pure it be hard for them to even think straight" explained Xenovia, looks like she's understanding heavens prison just fine

"Exactly, we learned that after the war both the angels and devils agreed to keep the demons captive"

"Why though?" asked Irina "why would the devils agree to that?"

"For peace related reasons" I answered "the demons never liked peace to begin with, only four wanted peace and they were the original four Satan's that being Lucifer, leviathan, Beelzebub, and Asmodeus. almost Every other demon wished for war and thankfully most of the demons died so the imprisonment of the last remaining demons that disagreed with the four's decision were kept in confinement in heaven"

"So that left the underworld with only a handful of other devil houses and the four great Satan's as well?" questioned Xenovia, it sounded like she wanted confirmation by her tone

"Yes, during the civil war the four great Satan's perished but they left capable successors who held the power and ideals of the originals" I explained

"So this adds up to the few questions we have, how was this demon still roaming? If it was a demon from heavens prison then how did he escape?" listed Irina while lifting two fingers

"To answer your second question Irina; it's _who let_ 'em out? Not how, escaping from heavens prison is almost impossible, add the almost constant pain the demon would be feeling just by being in heaven as well as knowing that the only way out was through heavens honor guard, that... would be extremely difficult" I explained causing Irina to nod solemnly

"So, let's say he was let out, what would be his motive?... vengeance?" continued Irina

I nodded while Xenovia also agreed

"It would make sense, being betrayed by your own kind can have that effect on just about anyone, add the fact it's a demon we're talking about leaves that to common sense" replied Xenovia

"Right, but why would he attack a cathedral? I would've expected it to attack the underworld directly" replied Irina

"Good point, demons are beings based off of negative emotions, vengeance being a more common one then others and the fact this demon hasn't attacked the underworld leaves us with more questions than answers" I said while nodding to Irina

"Then how do we find that answer?" asked Xenovia

I simply smiled at her with a crooked grin

"Simple... we ask it nicely"

At the sight of my confidence the two "rookie" exorcists smiled, Xenovia matched my grin while Irina smiled her usually flamboyant way

Whatever this demon had planned be it vengeance or any other crooked scheme you could bet you ass the three of us will be there

Now we just had to find some leads

"So how will we find it?" questioned Xenovia

I simply reached into my other coats pocket and revealed to the two the golden cylinder container from the cathedrals basement

"Whatever the goal is it must have something to do with this" I said while holding out the golden object "whatever it is, it must've held an important item the demon was looking for but I still have no idea what it could be"

"I bet the _Archive_ would have an answer" Irina recommended "I haven't actually been there in person but I have contacted one of the scholars working there, he helped immensely"

"Good idea, I'll give Claire a shout" after that I stood up from the seat I was in and walked over to a wide open wall to my right near the rear of the jets cabin

Placing my hand on the wall a light blue scan traced over my hand before it blinked green in confirmation

"Voice confirmation: For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding" [proverbs 2:6] once the prayer was uttered the screen replayed my voice over before blink green in confirmation a second time

After the screen confirmed my voice it reached a pending call before a familiar light browned haired women came onto the screen

"Hello father Blackburn what can I do for you?" she asked while I gave a friendly wave

"I like you to run me a diagnostic on this..." I said while lifting up the golden cylinder for her to see

"sure thing please let the computer camera scan it" I did as she said and placed it in front of the terminals camera to the walls right, once it was in place a visible stream of blue light shot out and skimmed over the golden cylinder a few times before reseeding

"Please give me a moment to run diagnostic" she said while looking off screen, most likely to the screen scanning the cylinder "alright I have something" she said while turning back to me

"Turns out what you holding is a protective container for a blueprint... can you guess what for?" she said while hinting a question towards me

"Moses' DVD collection? I have no idea" I haft joked causing a snicker from Claire

"Good one.. But no, what your holding is the blueprint to recreating the legendary sword Excalibur" she informed causing everyone in the jets cabin to freeze

"It's a prototype but some scholars as well as some prophets have actually confirmed its process plausible, but its effects are extremely devastating" continued Claire not at all realizing the bomb she had just dropped

"How devastating?" I asked with a wavering tone

"well, if one were to collect all of the Excalibur fragments and then use a high end alchemy spell to mold the holy energies together perfectly... you'd be looking at a full on continental decimation" Jesus Claire, read the mood

"Why do ask?" she asked suddenly

How do I put this? "Um... we happen to have learned that a... loose demon may or may not have stolen the Excalibur reconstruction blueprint" I informed causing Claire face to change from clueless to clear evident shock

"WHAT?!" she all but yelled

The three of us who didn't expect that kind of a response jumped at her loud tone, thankfully she hadn't woken Amelia but it still surprised all of us

"That's not good... that's not good at all" Claire leaned back in her chair, a clear expression of disbelief written on her features, after a second she leaned back towards the screen "I-I I'm bring this to Arndell's attention immediately, I'll patch you to him right now" in a second the screen blinked, replacing Claries face with that of Arndell's

"Hello father Blackburn, what news do you bring me?" he asked, this was gonna leave the old man reeling

"We have learned the attack on st. Paul's cathedral was the tip of the iceberg, during our investigation me and Irina found a single survivor" I informed causing Arndell to nod calmly

"Did you ask her of the previous nights events?" I knew that would be his next question

"No, the previous night had left its toll on her psychologically; she's barely spoken a few words since we left"

"What else have you learned?"

"When we found the girl we first encountered a rogue priest duo before even finding her, we learned that their job was to silence her"

"So the heretic's were the ones to attack?"

I shook my head

"No... After we dealt with the heretic's and helped the girl, Irina found... evidence suggesting something else entirely"

"And what would that be, exactly?"

"Sulfur" when I said that one word Arndell immediately responded with a look of complete shock and reeled back from his chair

"A demon... Isaac, do you know what that means?" he asked, exasperated

I simply nodded "I am aware of the lash back but I have reason to believe this demon is not connected with the demon council in the underworld" I said making Arndell raise a beady brow

"Explain"

"When I was about to question the last rogue on who had sent them, a sigil appeared on the nape of his neck" before Arndell could reply Claire piped in with her two scents

"Wait... do you remember what it looked like?" she asked, her face appearing on the left side of the screen while Arndell's was on the right

"I do"

"Describe it"

"Alright... its base design was a circle, then it had a Satan star in side and to finish it had various symbols within the stars design" I explained while running through my memory

"What color was it?" asked Claire

"Red"

After that she pulled up a visual screen which carried various demonic symbols within, I even recognized the Gremory family circle within the scrolling tab

"alright, I've brought a few symbols relatable to your description just press on the one that looks like a match and I'll be able to find out what the demons name is" she informed, I nodded before I started my search

A good minute passed before I finally spotted a familiar sigil, pressing it the screen dropped from view so to send Claire my choice, Arndell was looking pale from the anticipation but I had seen Claire expression already. It wasn't good

"Malthus, earl of the underworld" she said simply

"Dear god..." muttered Arndell, Xenovia and Irina exchanged glances at his dropped down tone, I knew they didn't know who exactly he was, I mean they did just get transferred to my division so the demon studying we had gone through was still on the "to do" list if they wished to stay in the division

"Claire, could you give my two apprentices a rundown of Malthus'?" I asked, Claire looked confused before she spotted the two's confusion and answered

"Malthus is an earl of hell; he controlled 26 legions back in the Great War, but near the end he was imprisoned in heaven while his 26 legions were distributed among the remaining houses who agreed to follow the original four's ideals, until today he's been in heavens prison" she explained, Xenovia nodded seriously while Irina dropped her gaze

"Guess that confirms he isn't connected to the demon council" she muttered

"Claire, do you have any idea's what his intentions are?" I asked

"Other than wanting to use Excalibur's blueprint to level a whole continent... destruction I guess" she said simply causing Arndell immediately gasped in complete shock

"What! That thing has the Excalibur blueprint!?" he yelled, he took it much better than I expected, I was guessing a mild stroke would be his response but his tone remained under cringe worthy levels

I nodded while pulling out the golden cylinder container for the swords blueprint

"Yes, when we were investigating I found this along with the sulfur" when he spotted the golden container he reeled back a second time

While Arndell did his "You've-got-to-be-kidding-me" lap I remembered something about Malthus

"Wait, isn't Malthus a demon who incites war?" I asked, Claire's eyes quickly shot up to me

"Now that you mention it, he is. He erects towers and fills then with weapons and ammunition" agreed Claire

"Then that answers his intentions, attacking a cathedral within city limits can anger just about anyone if this became public then add the fact he's taken a valuable item of interest has his war inciting actions quiet close" I listed, I then looked to Arndell seriously "this needs to remain in the shadows, not a single word of this is to release out into the open, if the other fractions hear about this then the hornets' nest is gonna start to rumble"

Arndell nodded, his serious expression returning "consider your operation of the grid father Blackburn, I won't risk bringing any more operatives into the loop in case it catches the other fractions eyes but if you require assistance then I'll reroute a few of the closest agents to your operation"

"Alright, then... Malthus' intentions is the Excalibur fragments meaning the closest one is our next stop" I said, this information was classified even for me so with a simple glance to Arndell and he knew what I was asking for

"The closest Excalibur Fragment is located at the eastern orthodox church" he said causing me to nod

Alright, that'll be our next stop" I said, after seeing both Claire and Arndell nod to me I switched of the communication and proceeded to the cock pit to inform our next destination to the pilot

Hopefully we'll be able to stop this before it grows outta proportion

**A/N: **

**Alright I'm back baby, moved in and ready to write, as well as hit the beach but you know...**

**Anyways I have a few things I wanna get out so as to not confuse my audience**

**The path I'm taking for this arc is the holy sword arc prologue which is the events directly before Xenovia and Irina's debut in second season, I explained that I'd be taking this path last A/N but I'd like to explain a few system changes I have made to the DxD universe namely... the Demons**

**With the anime just focusing on the next style of breast animation I had decided to look past the pornography that is DXD and went and created a more thoroughly explained political system then the vaguely explained one in the anime**

**Alright so to start off with the explanation**

**At some point in time in the past Lucifer was cast out along with a few angels by god, Lucifer would start the demon race while the angels Azazel, Kokabiel, and shema-what's-his name starts the fallen angel race and then the great war would commence later on but let's focus more on the demon's for now**

**Anyways, at the beginning of Lucifer's rebirth into demon hood had caused him to became a... demon, and the next three would follow his birthing that being leviathan, Beelzebub, and Asmodeus then the rest of the 72 pillars would become created as well with each pillar being represented by a demon, for example Malthus, is a demon progenitor of the devil family house of Malthus but due to his imprisonment in heaven his family house was destroyed in the great war while his 26 legions were distributed among the many other devil pillars**

**now i did say there were a few demons still running around that being the demon council and i'll say it now, they are the "good" guys the quotations are a more sarcastic tone then a foreshadow and the imprisoned demons are bad pussy-tats**

**also, after the years, the pure blood demons started to degrade down to a lower form of demon that being classified as "devil" leaving the progenitor of the 72 pillars unique in their own family right. **

**Demons are close to maou in strength key word "close" as in they are no push over, I hope you guys like my new Villain OC, he did take me five seconds to make and if you guys are wondering if the name Malthus is real then check out Wikipedia 72 demons, I know its Wikipedia but-meh, at least I researched myself a name**

**On a side note I'd like to know if you guys want me to do Issei's story, since Isaac isn't there for the main focus I was still wondering if you guys want me to show the rating game, I feel it would be a good idea since I did alter his power and sacred gear as well as modify his idea's... just a little bit ;)**

**Speaking of which, I want you guys to know that I have two protagonist's, that being Issei and Isaac I've noticed on many fanfiction stories that a lot of people who create an OC usually neglect the other characters development**

**I have read a few and I find myself bored when no matter how inspirational the OC may be Issei still happens to be perversion personified, I mean seriously, get Kamina up in here- oh wait he's perverted too... damn, thought I had something there**

**Whatever, I pride myself in cause and effect, OC's should create reasonable ripples be it physical or non-physical, I did say the Issei's change will happen of the course of events but Isaac will have a form of "inspiration" to help mold issei into a badass**

**(Small rant)**

**Normally my hatreds are along the lines of psychotic hatreds but this one is toned down some (no promises there) **

**When it comes to writing a fanfiction that still revolves around the original canon I tend to re-watch the seasons just so I can refresh my brain on what the part I'm on should go, and I tell ya it's painful**

**I see you guys enjoy my rants to an extent but after my last rant about high school DxD born I thought to myself "maybe the other seasons have something that distances itself from the third seasons fuck up" turns out my optimistic thought was just a desperate side of myself that wanted to believe DxD wasn't going down the black abyss **

**After I picked apart third season for all of its ugliness I started to notice the ugly parts with the other seasons as well, they weren't as bad as the third season and at times I even chucked (something's wrong with me) but I still felt a lack of character dynamic's**

**Forget about the harem bus occupants (Issei's harem) cause they are simply flat as a pancake run over by an ice-cream truck on steroids**

**I don't even need to point out their stereo types for you guys as they are already blatantly obvious for all to see, notice how in every harem anime there's always that one chick that cock blocks the main protagonists progress? *glances to Asia* **

**Anyways, before I lose myself and the voices take over again leading to an even bigger rant I just want to mention about Issei's lack of charter progression**

**Dies- get's up and goes back to school**

**Finds out he's a devil- ignores it in favor of playing the "uh?" shtick **

**Innocent girl killed- still remains innocent with no amount of psychological change, no drive to get stronger so it won't happen again and has absolutely no drive to expand his dragon powers so he doesn't get his ass handed to him every time he fights**

**The only reason issei is still alive in all of the events in the anime is because he has the plot armor every character has, some of mine have it but they still have an emotional altercation at some point if shit goes down but mean while issei still wants to see breast's... lots of breast's and completely ignores the danger he's truly in**

**What I'm trying to say through all that convoluted ranting is this universe WILL have realism, no innocents here, maybe some so as to keep from going down the serious path but I will continue to make issei change through the events he's going to experience**

**So heads up issei, shits gonna suck a little**

**as for the few people making harem requests i have taken a good time to consider, i was thinking about Irina and i actually have added her into the harem as well as Serafall but i want to say this before i start to get flooded with harem members like a open flood gate**

**i will not just add a girl because it _feels _like it could work, I've seen in harem anime's that some universes take short cuts in sweeping explanations under the reason rug, irina makes sense causes she an exorcist and will then become an angel, i have considered Serafall because it would not only make for some good comedy but a reasonable plot device for i specified purposes of course**

**harem list: Rosswiesse, Gabriel, Irina, Serafall**

**i may except a few more harem members, maybe one more? but anyways, i not gonna add girls in just for the fun of it, i want it to make sense**

**Anyways R&amp;R**

**Mean while I'm going to watch shinmai maou no testament... at least Basara can get laid, and the chicks are useful... Peace ;)**


	6. Noble Troubles

**A/N: Ayo!**

**Just a "short" Authors note before I start this chapter ;)**

**I have come to the realization that I have messed up the time line of the two seasons, sucks I know but that's the point of this A/N, it's to smooth over the time line confusion that will be noticed**

**So when I first started chapter five I had wanted to split the chapters into two sections, 10,000 words for Isaac's separate arc and a similar amount for Issei's but I didn't realize unit I started writing that the balance between the time zones is different or completely FUBAR... as well as I was lazy and wished to release a new chapter out in record time**

**So I'll make this known right now, whenever the sections transition from Isaac's "campaign" to Issei's there will be a time difference. For Ex. Isaac's "campaign" will take place in the "past" while Issei's will take place a few days ahead of time, I have to take into account of the filler episodes before the riser arc actually takes full swing **

**And to add to that I will be adding in SOME filler just to help show character changes thus far but I will not be including the sports rival games between Rias and Sona as well as the familiar part as well, I forgot to ask for familiar requests last chapter so I save that for later**

**UAH! The controversy that's gonna make, I'll simply save the familiar part for after rating game arc for issei so start making them requests boys/girls and no perverted familiars! By the time the riser Arc is completed Issei's personality will take a slight left turn down albakerky**

**Anyways, on with the chapter!**

**-XxXxXxX-**

"_Evolution is imperfect and often a violent process  
a battle between what exists and what is yet to be born  
amidst these birth pains  
morality loses its meaning  
the question of good and evil  
reduced to one simple choice  
__** survive or perish"**__ – unknown_

**-XxXxXxX-**

**Kouh city/ Japan/ hyoudou residence/ with issei**

Issei hyoudou didn't know what to think right now

"I can't believe this is happening!" yelled a male voice

WAAAAA!" wept one of his best friends, Motohama as he stood off to the side of him; issei quickly noticed his other friend Matsudo crying as well, however, two things confused him, the first was the tears of his friends were not sad tears but tears of jealousy the second fuel to his confusion was why they were dressed up in tuxedo's

More to the fact is why _he _waswearingone as well

"Huh!? What the Huh!?" he yelled out in confusion as he looked down to his black and white tux

"It's your wedding day!" cry/yelled Issei's bald headed friend who was trying really hard to stay in control of his tears, this only confused him even more

"Huh!? Wedding?!" asked issei as he then quickly looked around to find his parents dressed in oriental attire and crying in a similar fashion of his friends

"I hope our first grandchild is a girl!" yelled Mrs Hyoudou as she covered her face with a white handkerchief

"Most of your life you've been an idiot, we never imagined there would be a day where we could actually be proud of you!" said Mr Hyoudou whose tone carried a disbelieving edge

Issei said nothing as he watched his parents cry tears of both joy and disbelief, he was about to say something but another voice cut in

"No more looking at other women, Issei" Issei quickly realized it was the president of the ORC, Rias Gremory, who had said those words with a seductive tone laced within the loving voice

So much was happening so fast that the younger hyoudou couldn't comprehend what was happening but soon his confusion was locked out when a male voice said "you may kiss the bride"

At the words of the obvious male Rias turned to the still confused issei and leaned it for the inevitable kiss

'_What the hell's going on right now, I'm about to kiss the president and... wait' _issei felt a rush of joy encompass him at the thought of kissing Rias, the hottest girl he had ever seen, but he stopped his teenage dream to a grinding halt when flames began to envelop the whole cathedral slowly

All of his friends and Rias vanished within the flames, a rather disturbing sight but it didn't detour issei from finding the familiar presents he felt when he fought _her_

**[It seems you remember me... kid] **said a deep gruff voice, issei couldn't make out a source for the voice as the flames that surrounded him almost completely engulfed him

A moment after the powerful voice sounded off and a powerful gust of wind blasted passed Issei making him clench his body in favor of staying where he stood, once the wind died down Issei opened his eyes to noticed most of the flames that surrounded him were pushed back albeit only a little

Before he could relax a massive form crashed to the black floor below Issei's feet causing the ground to rumble with intense force, when Issei picked his heart back up and smacked it back it his chest did he finally notice the gigantic red dragon looming over his being

For a moment the two remained silent, issei didn't know what exactly to say, it's not every day a normal person like him meets a dragon let alone speak with one, he always thought they'd - eat first, communicate later - But this one looked like he could go for a cup tea a biscuits... his thoughts were aligned with terrified sarcasm

"I remember" he muttered, it was hard to notice but he did, when he was fighting the fallen angel Issei remembered the voice that which had given him the power to defeat the bitch that was Raynare but it sounded more mechanical

**[Good, I was starting to think you'd be a lot denser] **boomed the obvious male voice

"Who...who are you?" issei had no other question then this one, it was the first step to a conversation after all so he felt it was called for

The dragons massive mouth lifted ever so slightly at the boys question **[I'm glad you asked... I am Ddraig, the Red dragon emperor] **replied the powerful dragon

Issei widened his eyes at the name, not too long ago after he fought Raynare the president of the ORC mention his name

'_Ddraig, the welsh dragon'_ muttered issei internally however it seemed the dragon had heard his thoughts

**[Yes... for some time now I had been trying to reach you but you've been far too weak for that, only a few days ago did your desires finally reach me] **informed the dragon

"So it was you... you were the one I heard that day!" issei realized, a look of revelation adoring his features

The dragon nodded

**[Yes... and I have to say kid, you handled that crow quiet well] **complemented Ddraig, Issei flinched slightly at remembering Raynare but he dropped it in favor of accepting the complement from the powerful being before him

"So... mind my asking but, what is it you want to speak about?" issei didn't really know what else this dragon wanted, he doubted this was his true goal, since he was a dragon he guessed it was something bigger than an introduction and a complement

**[I just wanted to see how my new partner is holding up]**

Huh? Guess that was his goal... who knew

"I'm...I'mgood... man that was awkward" replied Issei with a sweat-dropped at this "casual" conversation he was having with a dragon

**[Really?... you don't seem very "Good" to me partner] **retorted Ddraig as he moved his hulking form of a head to come closer to Issei's **[it was your **_**desire**_** to overcome your weakness that reached **_**me**_** that day, Remember?]**

Issei flinched at Ddraig's scrutinizing gaze, well, whatever his expression was right now he didn't know but his tone sounded chastising

**[You know my name, but you do not know what that name entitles, do you?] **Asked the dragon suddenly causing Issei to look at him with small amounts of confusion

"No... But President said you double my power every ten seconds... right?" he replied causing the dragon to close his eyes in what looked like disappointment

**[That is the boosted gears main ability but that's not what I'm talking about] **Ddraig rounded back in order to distance himself from Issei's smaller form, when he reached a good distance he stood up on two legs and outstretched his wings so to show his full physical appearance of a powerful being that which he was

**[I am the heavenly dragon of power! I give and I mold the very fabric of its blessing and use it to answer the desires of the chosen! You Issei Hyoudou are my chosen possessor! You are the one to be blessed with my power... the power to slay gods!] **Chanted the heavenly dragon, issei could only stare, wide eyed, at the obvious stance of dominance the dragon had taken

After the dragons chant Ddraig came closer again **[Your desire to defeat the fallen angel reached my ears, and as your desire to defeat her grew stronger so did the window that allowed me to grant you my power] **explained the dragon, as he watched the boy closely, then he thought of a question

**[Do you feel weak...? Issei hyoudou?] **Heasked, making Issei suddenly look up to him

For a good moment Issei remained stationary and thought of the answer, during the past few weeks of his resurrection by Rias Gremory he had felt like the weak link, everyone apart of the peerage had shown that they were capable people and devils, Kiba was good with the sword and popular with the ladies, Koneko could go a few rounds with Muhammad Ali and probably win as well as she was the school mascot and finally Akeno could zap almost anything with a smile on her face while being the one of the great "Onee-sama's" at school while all he was, was the school pervert and weak devil

So yes, he felt weak, _very _weak

"I...I do" he answered finally a look of depression adoring his already down-casted expression

**[What if I told you I could turn you into something greater than even your dreams can't comprehend?] **Piped in Ddraig causing Issei to look at him with ever growing interest

"Can you do that?" he asked

**[What do you think that previous proclamation was brat!**... **simple advertising?] **Retorted Ddraig, pride almost abolished, this caused Issei to reel back in comedic fashion

"Then... if you can do that, what do I have to do?" asked Issei after he recovered from Ddraig's massive thoom

**[The answer is simple... you train, train harder then no other, you cannot achieve great power through side passing challenges, with pain comes triumph, with fear comes courage, with defeat comes strength, all of these things you will experience but it is up to you weather they build you up... or wear you down... so which will you choose Issei hyoudou, do you wish to grow stronger or remain the pathetic human you are right now?] **

Issei couldn't understand it, Ddraig had said it already- he was the dragon of power and it showed, with just his words issei felt a new found determination, he remembered the time when he wanted to fight Raynare and how he couldn't because the priest Isaac had said he was too weak to do so, but now he felt like he could take his words and destroy them

"I think I'll take the offer... Ddraig" he said after smiling confidently, the upper part of Ddraig's lips lifted showing his razor sharp teeth

"When do we start?" asked the now confident Issei Hyoudou

**[In time, but for right now partner, some one wishes for you to wake up] **once his words left his draconic lips did Issei suddenly jolt wake

"Issei! Time to get up" yelled Mrs Hyoudou from the other side of the door

Issei took a moment before yelling back to confirm he was up and coming to which he heard mumbled comments about his "morning routine" but he simply ignored them in favor of looking down to his left arm

'_The power to kill a god' _

It sounded awesome yet foreboding at the same time, he heard many quotes that followed along the lines of "Power comes great responsibility"; the western movie _Spiderman_ had taught him that, and then the quote "corruption follows power" so he classified himself wary of his future yet the thought of becoming something great out classed his worries... to an extent

_**[I must say, for a pervert your thought's can sound extremely... mature]**_came a sudden deep voice, Issei knew who it was but he didn't expect him to pipe up right now

"Whoa!... didn't think you could hear me there" replied Issei as he stumbled outta bed and got his usual school uniform on

_**[Of course I can- I'm inside you remember?]**_Ddraig replied rhetorically

"Guess I'm gonna have to get used to the little voice in my head" issei muttered simply

**[I would ask that you refrain from using the word "little" in relation to me] **warned the inner dragon

"R-right" agreed Issei, he didn't know what would happen if he angered the dragon so he decided to play the Kiss ass until he found the right spot in their relationship

This was one hell of a start to a new and strange relationship

**-XxXxXxX-**

Later that morning, Issei found himself entering the Occult research club building, since it was the weekend, club activities doubled and his ass was on flyer duty for the second day in a row, Rias did mention an "upgrade" was coming up but she never addressed what that entailed and all she said was that she had lost the opportunity

'_Whatever that means' _he muttered internally

For the most part he still felt there was a great deal to learn before he fully felt "in the loop" as the others seem to fit in like peanut butter did with jelly

Opening the door to the club room Issei announced his presents before he nearly walked right into a white laced bra, to which he froze at the glories sight before him

"Well then" he muttered before he noticed a shower was running

"Hello?" asked a female voice

"Oh its Asia... so that means" he hinted more to himself as he stared at the white bra that was hanging directly in the middle of the room

His thoughts were interrupted when a solid object made violent contact with his head

**BONK!**

"Do you like what you see... pervert?" asked the ever disapproving Koneko as she lowered the randomly draw lobster from his throbbing head

"Hey it's not my fault a bra is just dangling in the room like that!... _I usually have to work to see it_" snapped Issei while mumbling the last part of his reply, however, his "excuse" didn't alleviate Koneko's blank stare

"Um... is that my bra?" asked the now visible Asia as she stood at the entrance of the shower, covered in a towel

"I think the perverts having a staring contest with it" replied Koneko monotonously; Issei simply dropped his shoulders commercially at Koneko's "bullying"

"W-well, I need it now... sorry Issei" said Asia with an innocent apologetic tone, guess the ridiculousness of Koneko's comment went right over her head

Issei simply nodded dumbly at her tone before he moved away from the bra

"So you staying in the club room?" he asked simply

"Yes. But not for long, Buchou says it'll be changed soon" replied Asia as she gathered her clothes and left the room, Issei nodded simply before he spotted buchou on the other end of the room looking down at a few copies of paper

For a moment Issei expected her to notice him but she seemed to be looking off into space

"Buchou?" called out the confused Issei, but Rias remained unaware of him

"Um...Buchou?" this time Rias finally took notice of the boy before him

"Oh- sorry I zoned out there, you were saying?" she replied

"Uh, R-right, I was just checking in" that confused him, buchou usual seemed so focused

"Right, well its good you are here" she said quickly when she noticed Issei's confused expression "I was meaning to inform you of a training schedule I had planned up, since the battle between you and the fallen angels it became clear that training is the next best thing for you"

Issei's eyes lifted

"That's perfect" he said simply, expression rising to energetic levels, this caused Rias to grow confused by his sudden interest in training

"How so?" she worded her confusion

"Oh, that's right I didn't tell you" at his words Rias tilted her head, confusion increasing

"Just this morning, my sacred gear spirit made contact with me" informed the Gremory Pawn causing Rias' eyes to sparkle

"That's great to hear Issei, making contact with the sacred gear spirit is a sign you've grown stronger. I remember you told me it was you who took down the fallen angel, with brute strength none the less, perhaps that "awakening" as you say has caused you to evolve to the next level" Rias said wording a theory

"Sounds like that could be a plausible reason" agreed Issei while he flexed his right fist, he still remember the weightless feeling he had when he kick raynares ass, it felt... Liberating

"Alright then, it's settled, how does 5:00am sound?" questioned the red head, Issei flinched at the time chosen but none the less nodded, he remembered what the dragon said about training like no other so he expected the roughest routine imaginable, almost like a special forces training but with ten times the pain, it terrified him but he thought of the outcome of the training...

Face it, any guy would dream of having a body built out of rock, and this training was gonna push him past that? Oh hell yeah he'd do it

You can't side step challenges and expect to come out a different person after all; difficulties are what create a person

_**[Again, your thoughts are much more mature then I'd expected, all the other thoughts are... disturbing] **_worded Ddraig internally

Issei heard the voice of the dragon but ignored it in favor of listening to the president explain the routine

"-so for warm ups I plan on making a long run be the best choice, don't expect this to be simple Issei" finished Rias while holding a finger up and shaking it

Issei simply shook his head

"Didn't expect it to be" he replied smoothly making Rias smile proudly

"Perfectly worded, my adorable servant"

**-XxXxXxX-**

The next morning came far too quickly for Issei, normally he'd wake up on week days at six but since it was the weekend as well as the fact he was waking up an hour earlier had him feeling discombobulated but he slapped that down quickly

The morning was odd for even his parents, whom seemed quiet surprised to see him up for morning exorcises, normally he'd remain in bed until early noon but this was shocking, Issei said it was time to start changing things up or else he'd "go insane" with the usual routine, his parents seemed confused by his out of character comment but they simply smiled at his attitude

Any parent would like to see an ambitious edge to their children, and he was starting to show development

'_good excuse as any I guess' _muttered Issei internally

_**[Be that as it may, it was haft the truth] **_replied the ever present Ddraig

Ever since making contact with the dragon Issei had noticed the spirit seemed to be much more open to conversation, it was small conversations here and there but they were entertaining, at one point Ddraig even showed a sense of humor in Issei's social class when he'd spot curtain points in the lesson as "inaccurate" and then proceed to berate the knowledge system like an angry drill sergeant

To say he was an informed dragon would be an inaccurate statement; he was _really _informed would be a better description

'_I guess' _mumbled Issei in return, the dragon hummed in reply

_**[You sound nervous]**_ pointed out the inner mystical creature, Issei simply nodded in return

_**[I guess it's expected, you only did just become a devil. Physically this training shouldn't be any different than advanced human training, the only thing that'll be effected is you mental state] **_explained the dragon

Issei raised a mental brow in question

'_what do you mean?' _

_**[I guess your friend didn't explain it correctly. What I'm saying is that this training won't be as hard as you expect it, as you are a devil now, to a human this training would be considered insane but to a devil the physical strain shouldn't be anything but just difficult, however, with your mental state the training will seem crazy] **_the dragons words alleviated some of Issei's nervousness but what he said next brought that back up at full force

_**[I'm not talking about my training partner, I'm talking about the devil girls training, if she's any bit as competent as she sounds then this should be "easy" for you compared to mine... my training will be completely different]**_

He felt a high sense of dread suddenly

After he got his training clothes on, which was just his school gym attire, he walked to the public park only a couple blocks opposite from the school, directly adjacent to the other park where he fought the fallen angel. Seemed like a good reminder as any to him

Once he was there he noticed Rias hadn't shown up just yet and so he took to doing simple warm up stretches before the real warm up started, he may be a pervert at school but that didn't mean his academics as well as his physic was subpar, anyone who goes to school loves gym class, it was a no brainer he'd enjoy it... for more reasons than one

Once his stretches were completed he lowered himself into a plank on the grass, back when he had conversations with Ddraig he noticed his awareness of almost everything around him faded and all of his senses focused on the conversation with the dragon, so in order to drop his focus on the strain of the plank he started a conversation with the dragon

'_S-so Ddraig, any idea what my real training will be?' _he asked internally, for a moment the dragon stayed silent before he noticed he was addressed

_**[It will be a different experience, with how much danger you've been through in the span of only a few weeks I had developed a new form of training for you to develop quicker than normal] **_he explained vaguely

'_Any advice?' _he asked

_**[All I can say is to remain physically active or else this training will bring internally pain, in order for you to avoid it I'd recommend keeping a workout routine] **_advised the dragon, this helped Issei to prepare but before he went to press on the subject he dropped it when he finally picked up on the dragons vague answers, guess it was a secret

'_Another thing... When I faced the fallen angel, just what did I – ya know – get with my desire?" _he asked a little hesitant at his questioning

_**[A gift] **_was the dragons reply

'_Little vague don't you think?' _replied Issei at the simple answer he got, Issei prayed the dragon wasn't going down the cliché sensei road where everything he'd say would account to riddles he'd have to solve "with his heart"

_**[Should be obvious partner] **_replied the dragon with a tone similar to "seriously?"

'_Alright, uncle! My brain hurts with the figure it out yourself shtick, explain this gift to me Ddraig' _replied Issei a little bit more forcefully

_**[What did you desire most when you first started to hear me?] **_Asked the dragon cryptically

Issei took a whole minute to recall the time he'd had heard Ddraig's voice, other than the annoying teasing tone within his voice the answer was simple, all he had desired for was the skill to win but that was a ignorant thought, what came first was the power, skill was just another word for experience, power was a different story

_**[Seems you've figure it out partner... The gift I bestowed on you that day was a subclass to what's to come with my training] **_said Ddraig as Issei nodded mentally _**[To answer your next question, yes, you still have access to it, though it's weaker then what you can truly reach but it'll be good enough against lower leveled individuals and self defence purposes, with my training however you will be able to upgrade it to a point where it'll feed directly off of your desires, more training will increase its effectiveness] **_explained the dragon

_**[You should stop planking, any longer and you may find difficulty in breathing] **_warned the dragon as Issei was forced out of the link

"Ooof" gasped Issei as he felt his arms strain finally reach his senses

When he finally raised himself to a sitting position did he finally feel how lip his arms were, they felt like led, and then his abs...

"Holy crap" muttered the teen as he slowly raised himself up to a standing position, stretching his back as well as his everything else Issei felt the rush of epinephrine over take his sense as a form for his body saying "thanks for the work out", the aching was another way of say "you dumbass"

Better control his reps better, whenever he had a conversation with Ddraig time slowed down for him as minutes felt like twenty minutes to even hours, it was erratic

After standing in place for a minute while grumbling at his sore abs Issei finally spotted Rias on her way into the park on a red bike, she looked distant in expression but it faded when she stopped in front of him

"Morning Buchou" addressed Issei while waving at her, Rias however looked confused

"Your here early... feeling pumped for the training?" she asked

"Er... its 5:28 Buchou" Issei replied while looking down to his watch, when he said the time Rias widened her eyes

"Reall – um, sorry, I've had allot on my mind" Rias returned quickly while catching her surprised tone, Issei looked on at her worriedly but she jumped to the topic before he could address it

"Alright, time for that warm up Issei!" chirped Rias while ringing her bike bell, Issei nodded before starting at an audible pace down the tarmac trail through the park, after a while of jogging Issei finally understood what Ddraig said about the training effecting him more mentally than physically

During his running he noticed near the haft hour mark that he'd still felt relatively pumped when compared to his former human body would almost collapsed at the twenty minute mark, keep in mind His jog wasn't slow in the least, at first he started slowly but Rias kept insisting he'd pick up the pace until he reached about ten miles per hour but he only started to feel the burn at that point, not until he reached twelve miles an hour did his lungs start to burn slightly

Then add in the standard stamina of a devil added up to him jogging comfortably at twelve miles an hour for nearly haft an hour with still energy to spare

Issei felt like he could adapt to the new standards just fine, all he had to do was find his comfort zones and he'd be golden, jogging he had down, it burned but he expected it to burn, wasn't a work out without it

"You are surprisingly in shape, I'm glad to see that" complemented Rias as she sided up to him on her bike

"Well, gym class is the best class in school after all" he replied with slight strain in his tone, Rias smiled at his reply, she haft expected him to be subpar in regards to Physical activity but it was nice to see he had some maturity

The rest of the Jog was spent in a comfortable silence, Rias kept pushing Issei to continue even though he showed mild fatigue through almost every park in kouh before stopping a few seconds to catch up on breathe, after which he started to speed up his jog to fourteen miles an hour

As the morning came into play people started to rise up to walk either their dogs or any other animal they may have, this just seemed to add to the amount of bewildered glances directed to Issei due to his abnormal speed for a jog as well as the rather good looking female following him, adults looked on peacefully while some younger males looked on in both pity and envy, each one of these looks confuse Issei but with a second to think he realized what the envious looks were about

To which he sported a toothy grin at his luck

**-XxXxXxX-**

After the hour long jog all the way through the city's parks Issei was then advised with various stretches before he started doing insane amounts of sit ups, crunches, berpes, and just to worsen his already jelly arms, another rep of planks, everyone of them being weigh down by Rias' own weight as well

The pull ups had him doing them with Rias clinging to his back, the added weight almost killed him but he was surprised when it was just mild strain, all it felt like was doing a set of pull ups with little upper body strength. He just classified Rias as light as a feather

Then came the crunches, a little different than the others, instead of using her own body weight instead she just focused her demonic pressure onto him which had been almost similar to zero gravity except all of it pretty much ganged up on him just to make his thighs scream bloody murder

Because of his previous blunder with the planking exorcises Rias' version was tear jerking, his arms shook the whole time because of the strain then add her weight had him crying internally

"Come on Issei, I know you can hold on longer" intruded Rias with her serious expression blasting him full force

For a second Steve Carell's "that's what she said" rolled through Issei's mind at her words

_**[Saw that coming] **_muttered the dragon with an amused chuckle

After trying his damn best not to keel over from giggling Issei finally was relieved from planking... only to be ordered to do 100 push ups

"68...69...70" counted Rias as she sat on his back, Issei felt like dying right now

'_damn arms' _he growled at his misfortune, this would have been much more bearable if he hadn't done a rookie work out mistakewhen he was fully aware of the come training

"Listen Issei, in the world of devils intelligence doesn't matter as much as strength, so you gotta get stronger, both in mind and body" explained Rias as she continued to read her "how to train devils for dummies" hand book

Call her inexperience but this may actually be the first time she had actually trained someone, all the other peerage members trained with her down in the underworld and she wasn't the trainer, sometimes it was her brother on rare occasions but most of the time it was various members from her brothers peerage, all she could remember through that hell month was that training wasn't just to get a better body but also a mind that can work with it

She would try to mimic the training but she knew that taking it full swing would probably break the poor boy so taking it slow would be the best approach, she did realize he'd be going through something similar vary soon

"88...89...90, come on Issei ten more and your done" she instructed while reading, then a question came to her mind

After finishing the push ups Rias lifted herself from him and sat at a bench across of the reeling teen

"So Issei, have you been communicating with your sacred gear spirit lately?" she asked, Issei breathed for a second before answering

"Yeah... actually quite a bit really"

"Really... what about?" she pressed

"Well he mentioned training me himself, other than that he's been pretty vague" he said with a heaving tone

Rias nodded at his words with a small smile adoring her features, if that was the case then no matter how hard she'd try the dragons training would be way more efficient for Issei add the fact it was the welsh dragon almost had her feel pity for him

Almost...

"Anyways, Asia should be here any minute now" Rias said while smiling with a look that Issei thought could be evil but it looked to sweet to be evil

"Oh sorry I'm late!" yelled Asia while she ran up to the two devils

Issei raised his brow slightly "speak of the devil and she shall appear... mind the pun" he said with a personal chuckle at his own joke, Rias just looked to him blankly

"What?" he asked

"No... Just no" she said simply while shaking her head

"Ooohh!" yelped Asia as she tripped and fell commercially

"Ow... I'm no good at running and talking at the same time" she said while chastising herself, both Issei and Rias just looked to her with pity on their expressions

**-XxXxXxX-**

"Here ya go" said Asia as she poured a cup of green tea for Issei

"Thanks"

"So don't mind me asking but what are you doing here this early in the morning?" issei asked before he sipped the tea

"Oh Rias asked me if I could come" she answered with a polite smile, Issei looked mildly surprised before looking towards Rias

"That true... Rias?" asked Issei but he noticed a zoned-out look on her

"Rias?" he asked again with more volume, this time she heard him clearly

"I'm sorry what were you saying?" she asked apologetically

"What's up, you've been dazing out these last few days, everything alright?" he asked worriedly but she ignored him

"Now that everyone is here we should get going"

"Um, go where exactly?" Rias just looked to him with that previous look again

"Your house of course" was all she said before getting up onto her bike

Soon after her words had been said did Issei and company find themselves standing in front of said teen's house but what confused him was the set of boxes at the front door

"Now about those boxes?" questioned Issei while pointing at, said boxes

"Well, from today onward Asia is going to be moving in with you and your parents" revealed Rias as Asia simply bowed to him thankfully

"It's very sweet of you to let me" she said

"When I asked her where she'd like to live the first thing she said was Issei's house" piped in Rias

Soon after and Issei found himself sitting on the living room couch, the sight of Both his parents shock then tears of commercial joy raced past him before he heard there joyful words of acceptance

He knew Rias was good with words but damn was she a negotiator

The rest of day went by smoothly after he helped move Asia's stuff into the spare bed room down the hall from his own then the day's events passed by at a pace familiar for weekends, Issei was just happy it was Saturday and not Sunday just yet, like any other teen weekends were considered safe heavens from the prison that was high school

And then came the thought of Asia being in the same building as him every day... aside from his perversion at being this close to her he was just happy he'd not have to worry of her safety as much as before

Ever since the battle against Raynare he'd picked up a protective nature for the little blonde devil down the hall, when he heard her past and how terrible it was he couldn't find it in himself to be lazy about their friendship, everything he thought of always had Asia's happiness first and not his own

**[That desire of yours... reminds me of something I had forgotten to tell you]**Ddraig said suddenly, this time externally

Issei sat up on his bed to look to his left hand to see a green light shining from the back of it

"What would that be?" he asked in reply

**[This Asia girl you are so fond of... she's your catalyst] **revealed the dragon

"Catalyst? So you're saying she was a partial reason on why I awakened that gift of yours?"

**[In a sense yes... the drive to rescue her fed your desire for power so in a sense she was your drive, saying she's a physical catalyst would be incorrect; it's more metaphorical] **started the dragon

"I think I get it, all my fibre I wished to protect Asia and thus I needed power to do it" the answer wasn't too hard for him, everything has a cause and his desire to keep Asia happy had been the fuel to his power

**[Your desire is similar to that of a dragon] **replied Ddraig as Issei raised a brow at his words

"I'm like a dragon?" he asked confusedly

**[Well that gift wasn't for free partner... and equal exchange was needed] **revealed the dragon, this caused Issei to widen his eyes considerably

"What!" he yelled back with a controlled growl

**[You're desired for power to protect so I traded something in exchange for it] **replied the dragon matter of factly, this didn't alleviate Issei's worry in the least

"What the hell Ddraig! What did you take!?" he yelled in question while frantically searching for a missing limb

**[I didn't take a limb if that's what you're asking] **alleviated Ddraig while brushing off the loud tone Issei used

"Then what _did_ you take?" asked the nervous teen

**[Let's see, how do I explain this...] **trailed off the dragon while Issei started to worry

**[It's not a limb or anything, I simply took a portion of your instincts and replaced them with my own] **explained the dragon causing Issei to sigh away his nervousness

"So a portion of my instincts are now that of a dragon?" he asked only to get a hum of confirmation

**[All throughout dragon history the only thing consistent is the fact every dragon stated in your fictional stories has them guarding something, be it gold, a cave, a damsel in distress, they all represent evil of course but every dragon has been depicted as a guardian of something they want or have] **explainedDdraigwhile Issei listened quietly

**[That Blondie is your damsel in distress, the more you care for her the more territorial you'll be around her]**

"That seems like the positives will out way the negatives" replied Issei while raising his eyes at the information given

**[Wouldn't count it as perfect just yet, it's a form of instinct and some instincts aren't just activated at will partner... remember when you blocked that Crows light spear?] **

Issei raised his brow at the dragon's words, remembering the time he bitch slapped her light spear like a leaf in the wind

"Yeah" answered the devil pawn

**[That's about how much control you'll have over this new instinct, I'd advise you to keep in control of yourself or else you may cause yourself unwanted attention] **Issei nodded slowly at Ddraig's words, he can at times act irrationally, biggest example is when he wanted to take on Raynare in a stubborn fit of anger, thankfully that priest had stop him before he could act on the impulse

"So it's more like a double edged sword" Issei muttered while looking off towards the roof

**[Exactly, the longer you hold feels for someone the more territorial you'll grow but it will also help in increasing you strength as well] **again, Issei nodded plainly at the dragons words, when he had first learned of his sacred gear Rias had told him that desire was the main fuel for its power, seemed kinda ironic when he remembered the Priests words about sheer will meaning nothing, talk about sticking it to the man

Before he could continue with the conversation with the dragon a red magic circle engulf the dark room, it took him a second to recognize the Gremory magic crest within the circles design and immediately knew who was showing up

"What's does Buchou want all of the sudden?" Issei muttered before he saw her expression

"Um... what are you doing here Buchou?" he asked out loud this time but instead of answering she simply began to blush lightly

"Issei... I need you" she began before pushing herself onto Issei's form "I need you to take my virginity" she revealed causing Issei's expression to quickly go from confused to extreme shock and then a feeble accepting nod that which seemed more instinctual then intentional

Only until Rias removed her skirt did he realize his previous action

"Wait, wait, wait!" Issei said with a frantic wave of his hands, pervert yes, but this just doesn't happen on a whim, something was going on, even though a part of him said "shut up and let it happen" Issei just ignored his second brains instincts and looked quickly to reason

"What's the matter? Am I not good enough?" mumbled the red head with a down casted expression, this caused Issei to quickly dowse her words "No, no, your perfect but-" before he could ask his question however Rias quickly interrupted

"I've given this a lot of thought but there's just no other way" she said "once they learn that I have been ruined I'll finally be free" It didn't take much as Issei's confusion continued cloud his actions and soon he was pinned under Rias' form

As perverted as Issei was this situation was beginning, if it hasn't already reached that point, to become extremely hard for him to act, one part of him noticed Rias' pain laced with in her voice yet the stronger lustful side of him fought tooth and nail to keep his more rational actions from take point

All he got out was pathetic mumbles and discombobulated squeaks of disagreement but only one line got out

"This is a bad idea" he said far too quickly for it to go through the tongue filter

Rias' expressions became one of disappointment and pain "Does that mean your rejecting me" she said with a dejected tone, seeing his words effect take a wrong turn Issei felt the sudden urge to halt whatever was happening before it got too far and quickly raised himself up and pulled Rias close

Before any words could be exchanged a bright magic circle enveloped the room, Issei looked on in confusion at the foreign design while Rias' expression drop significantly

"I had a feeling this wasn't going to work" she mumbled sadly

The magic circle glowed for a few minutes before its light faded to reveal a Gray haired maid whom was wearing a blue and white French maiden outfit

The grey-haired maid took a second to take in her surroundings before finally addressing Rias with a tone akin to disappointment "Sleeping with a low born is unbecoming of you lady Rias, I expected better from you"

Rias' down casted expression quickly changed to anger at the maids words

"My virtue is my own to use as I please Grayfia" relied Rias with an angry tone "and another thing... I will not allow anyone to speak lowly about my honored servants, I don't care if you're my brothers servant I won't tolerate it" the air within the ream dropped a temperature or so at the hostility Rias released in defence for her servant

However, the maid named Grayfia simply hummed "duly noted" was what she said while picking up the dropped clothing "but one thing needs to be addressed" she started while putting Rias shirt over her

"You are the next head for the clan... have some self respect" she said before looking to Issei, stoic expression gone full force

"Pardon the interruption but we will be leaving, my name is Grayfia in service of the Gremory family please pardon lady Rias' actions" she said with a polite bow

"Y-yeah, no problem" he replied before noticing his master approaching

"I'm sorry for rushing you into this Issei, can we put this behind us?" she asked softly

Issei blinked at her words quickly addressing her

"Y-yeah, sure" he said

"Issei? You mean this is Issei hyoudou?" Grayfia asked politely

Rias nodded while backing away from the aforementioned teen "Yes, he is my first and last pawn" she informed

Grayfia looked down to him with a look akin to judgmental

"So you are the one who possesses the Boosted gear, a small child?" she said scrutinizing his appearance

"We'll continue this back at the club room... Grayfia if you will" Rias said while turning to the maid, at her words Grayfia nodded before stepping back, a white magic circle soon followed enveloping both the maid as well as the red headed devil heir

Once the two were gone Issei blinked a few times before collapsing down onto his bed, a confused yet happy expression on his features

_**[That was interesting] **_mumbled the dragon which enticed a sarcastic chuckle from the Brown haired teen

"You think?" he replied sarcastically

Issei hadn't been able to comprehend the previous events clearly, imagine it, imagine your crush suddenly barges into your room begging for you to take her virginity, normally it wouldn't be hard for other people to handle but for a person whose inexperience with women accounted for the amount of years he's been alive was much harder to handle so the previous events was nothing less than a miracle

An unfinished miracle yes but with it occurring was enough for Issei to believe he had some all mighty god watching over him, almost like a being that guided all luck within the universe had bestowed him with omnipotent luck

It took him a moment but after suppressing his more primal thoughts issei finally remembered the sad and desperate tone within Rias' voice, her actions were far too quick to be considered "well thought of". It sucked, yes, but Issei knew he wasn't the most popular person at school and as a matter of fact he could even be considered the worst and for Rias, a women on top of the high school food chain, to choose him as a suitable sex partner was a vary unrealistic possibility, add her rushed and desperate tone of voice suggested something else was in play

_**[She seemed to be running from something] **_informed the dragon while he listened to Issei's inner thoughts

"From what exactly?"

Ddraig grumbled

_**[No idea, all I know is that she seemed to be fleeing from something, it may have something to do with that gray-haired maid though] **_Issei nodded simply at the dragons words

Running seemed like the best suitable explanation, however, trying to figure that out would have to wait till tomorrow... however what Issei didn't notice was a small feeling was birthed within him

**-XxXxXxX-**

The next morning came at a quick pace and both Asia as well as Issei both dismissed themselves for club duties like usual, on their way to the school grounds the two remained in comfortable silence however Issei's mind was anything but silent

The previous night still weighed heavily on the young devil, many things played out through his mind being from why she seemed so desperate to lose her virginity, this still confused him greatly even now, Rias looked extremely well respected not just by others but by herself as well, aside from her Extremely odd sleeping habit, she carried herself like a noble and the fact she went to him for such a highly cherished act like her virginity seemed far to... unreal

Though the previous events did help in boosting his confidence a slight bit, he still felt this was a serious matter and Rias was truly running from something, it confused him on why she'd run from her virginity but it seemed like she _really _wanted to get rid of it

'_whatever the reasons, I'll figure them out soon' _he said internally before pressing the cross walk button, while the two waited to cross Asia quickly noticed a familiar blonde Knight walking down the opposite side of the street

"Kiba!" she yelled out happily officially catching the knight's attention to which he himself waved hello before waiting for them to cross

"Morning you two" greeted Kiba with a friendly smile

"Morning" Asia replied with a happy tone while Issei simply waved time him while wording "yo" casually

The three then proceeded to the old school building before Issei remembered something

"Oh Kiba I was meaning to ask you something" he said catching the aforementioned teens attention

"And what would that be?"

"I was just wondering if you've noticed Rias being a little bit... off" asked Issei walking up to be beside him

"No I haven't really noticed, why do ask exactly?" countered Kiba

"It's just that she seems troubled by something, I don't know what it is exactly but I was hoping you may know what it could be" Issei remembered the promise he made with Rias about the other night being confidential to the others so he kept the previous nights events to himself

Kiba thought on the subject before replying with a look of realization

"I think I have noticed something off about her" he said while pulling Issei from his thoughts "I don't know what it's about but all I can say is it must be house of Gremory drama"

Suddenly Kiba halted in his step "actually, I think I can guess what's troubling her, and its bad news" he dropped the bomb there, Issei noticed the solemn expression and immediately prepared himself

Time passed by audibly quickly and the three found themselves entering the old school building, the usual dark and dank path way and stairs to the official meeting room seemed far darker then before as if a ominous vibe reverberated through the halls like a plague

"Yikes... feels stuffy in here" muttered Issei as he walked along with the other two towards the club meeting room door, wasting no time issei pushed the door open

"Sup" started Issei but his words hitched in his throat when he noticed a familiar maid

"Uh... Miss Grayfia" before he could continue he stopped when he saw his king's expression

"Great, everyone's here" she said seriously, issei and the others quickly walked over to the dual couches to see what was going on

"My lady if you don't mind, May I have your permission to speak openly?" her words were hushed by Rias simply raising her hand dismissively

"Listen up every-"

Her words were stopped quickly as a bright orange, and flaming, magic circle appeared suddenly to the left of Issei, a few feet to the second room door

Not a second after appearing did a demonic cry sound off before the flames suddenly vanished leaving a tall blonde man about twenty to maybe mid twenties appear to be standing within the center of the magic circles epicenter, he wore a red blazer with a white undershirt and similarly designed dress pants, black dress shoes also were seen on the man's attire

The man sighed before speaking "and Lord Riser as returned to the human realm" he said calmly before turning to the others in the room but mainly his gaze was lock onto Rias' eyes

"I have come to see you... my beloved Rias" he said with a deep voice

"And whose he supposes to be?" Issei asked suddenly to which Grayfia answered his confusion not at all effected by his rude tone

"he is the third in line for the Phenex house, a pure blooded devil house and one of the few surviving houses from the Great war, his name his Lord Riser Phenex and he is currently engaged with lady Rias" introduced Grayfia with her usual monotonous tone

Issei felt something stir within himself when he saw the Phenex heir smile arrogantly and pride-fully at having his full title being announced, then he realized the last portion of what Grayfia had said

"Wait... their getting married?!" he asked completely shocked by the revelation, Rias looked absolutely pissed while the others seemed to hold hostile expressions, each well hidden, to Riser of course, but even Issei could see that they all didn't like him

He didn't either, just his posture seemed to anger him not to mention his tone seemed carry a condescending edge just waiting to unleash itself on anything below him

"Mm... I forgot how filthy this world is" muttered the Phenex heir with disgust

'_Great, now he's insulting the planet, how far with his ego go?' _growled Issei internally, he thought he heard a deep chuckle with himself but he ignored it, all of his attention was on the Phenex

"What is your business here Riser" demanded Rias with little to no respect but her blatant show of hatred was dropped like a bag of wet paper

"My dear... the wedding is closing in, I was hoping me and you could go an evaluate the proceedings together" replied Riser while standing a meter away from Rias

The red headed devils eyes widened at his words "I was informed that this wedding would take place after I graduated!" she said while looking to the grey haired maid whom simply remained silent

"Both our clans saw to it that the marriage is to be taken place within a month's time" revealed Riser with his usual cocky smile, Rias's expression became one of betrayal

And that expression caused something even more powerful to stir within Issei

_**[Calm down partner] **_warned Ddraig seriously as the devil quickly breathed in deeply and quickly returned his attention back to the events unfolding before him... fists clenched tightly

Rias quickly sat down on the couch from the revelation

"I'll fetch some tea" informed Akeno, she sounded monotonous

**-XxXxXxX-**

Issei's anger had almost surpassed its limits, he had absolutely no idea where this level of discontent had surfaced but ever since the Phenex heir arrived he had been feeling extremely on edge, he kept trying to keep his attention on the situation at hand but his anger was beginning to terrify even himself, every time he saw Riser's smile or smirk had him seeing red but his rational side always remained in control

Albeit barely

After some time Riser had managed to snuggle close Rias, much to the ire of Issei, and began to fondle her hair, everyone was on riveting and even Grayfia seemed edgy but that was not noticed by all of the room's occupants

Riser hummed softly at the tea served to him, for a moment to divert himself from the sight before him Issei noted Akeno's waitress level skill, Riser hadn't even asked for tea yet she brought one anyway, she's pretty good

"The tea served by Rias's queen is most exquisite" he complemented to which Akeno robotically bowed in thanks

After Riser sipped his tea a second time he started to fondle Rias' thigh softly but he showed zero self control, only when Rias got up did he cease his lecherous actions

"That's enough Riser" she said with finality " let it go, I have no intention of marrying you"

Riser simply raised his arms plainly "but my dear Rias, Riser see's that your clans circumstances are still such that you cannot afford to be so selfish" he explained in a third person-esque tone

"I have no intention of bringing my family to ruin nor do I wish to deny you the right to our family name but let me be very clear, my husband will by my choice and my choice alone" snapped Rias with a stern expression but Riser simply smirked again

"Remember Rias, it's very important for devils to remain pure blood, were still reeling from the Great War, both our clans saw the future of devils in mind, ignoring their wise decision would be dishonorable" reasoned Riser but Rias wouldn't have it

"Both our clans thought of this but they are in to great of a rush, for the final time Riser... I will _not_ marry you" Rias tone carried high amounts of conviction but it seemed Riser's patience had finally snapped and he quickly grabbed her chin in order to raise it to his view

"And for the final time _Rias_" he said with a sneer before glaring down to the defiant Rias "riser bears the full reputation of the Phenex house, besmirching our good name is unacceptable"

"and Besmirching mine is as well, if it became known a heir like me gave herself to someone like you my reputation will fall as well" she said with an equal amount of anger, at her words Riser's expression grew far beyond anger and he even raised his hand

But it never came down

"_Don't even think about it_" growled a low voice

!?

Everyone in the room, including Grayfia became shocked to see Risers raised arm being held firmly by Issei, but something seemed different, instead of a soft brown eyes glaring down on Riser bright green slitted irises stared down at Risers blue eyes with a furious expression hidden behind a well controlled façade

"_I will not let you touch her_" Issei's tone carried a determined edge

"Let go of me you low class mongrel!" Growled Riser but his arm wouldn't budge

Rias' looked on completely shell shocked, not a second ago did she see Issei move from his spot behind the couch adjacent to them but the fact he look completely in control of Riser shocked her more than his sudden speed

For a moment she observed and nearly blushed at Issei's low words, they sounded threatening but they seemed more likely directed to Riser than anyone else, then she noticed it, bright green energy shown from within Issei's hands and seemed to travel up his shirt sleeve and some even seemed to travel up his shirt collar up to his eyes

'_His eyes' _worded Rias internally when she noticed the lack of chocolate brown in Issei's eyes and instead noticed the bright green slitted eyes

One word passed her mind when those eyes glanced towards her. _Worry_, a surprising emotion but it was flattering

All attention was now directly on Issei who had had enough of what had been occurring before him, his control was waning before but after the argument his anger grew the more the tension between Riser and his king grew but his control vanished entirely when Riser's hand rose to not doubly slap Rias for her previous words

This had pulled the final trigger

"I said let go of me you Scum!" yelled the defiant Riser whom quickly sent his other arm towards Issei's ribs, time slowed for the teen as the arm closed in on his mid section, Reacting far faster then he'd known issei caught the oncoming fist mid swing furthering the shock of not just everyone in the room but also himself but he didn't stop there

_**CRUNCH! SQELCH! **_

The sound of bone shattering then skin tearing away violently sounded off as Issei kept on squeezing the devils fist which was no doubt destroyed by this point but his anger didn't allow him to let go

Issei expected Riser to scream but the devil look to be cringing painfully at the pain, it seemed to Issei the devil before him was accustomed to pain

'_good' _mused his inner thoughts as he thought of a simple choice, he felt extremely angry but he still felt rational thought, he only did take action when Rias seemed in danger of being harmed but she wasn't in danger anymore

Then came the maid to his right, she seemed interest but she also looked ready to move

"Please let him go.. Issei" came a soft female voice, turning to the source he spotted Rias looking to him kindly but slightly fearful as well before she placed her hands over his that which were holding Risers in a complete death grip

Her touch was felt instantly, the minute her hands touched his he felt relaxed, calm, this had caused him to let go of Riser's broken and disfigured hands as well as relinquish the dangerous aura surrounding him, his eyes returned to brown and the green energy running in his veins faded

His eyes remained locked on hers as she smiled cutely before looking away from him and towards the Riser Phenex whom had distanced himself from the two

Issei noticed the damaged he'd done to the Phenex heir but the damage vanished when flames ran down his arms towards the damaged Fist, a second later and the wound was no more leaving only a perfectly healthy fist that which was clenched angrily

"You'll regret that _boy_" Growled the older devil but before he could press forward Grayfia intervened

"There will be no more infighting at this meeting" she said with her monotonous voice however, its tone carried many warnings but they seemed to not stop Riser from yelling outrageously in reply

"Nonsense!" growled Riser while glaring at Grayfia "that low born harmed a noble, a punishment is in order"

Grayfia simply ignored his glare and addressed his answer "I believe his actions were admirable, you did threaten his master Lord Riser, defending the king _is_ the pawns duty is it not?" she said while turning the subject around, Issei widened his eyes at her defending of his actions

Riser however furrowed his brow dangerously "you mean to tell me _he's _a_ pawn_" was all he growled while furiously glaring at the brown haired teen whom showed no inclination of fear, his anger was equal to the Phenex's he just didn't show it as much and Rias was calming him somewhat, that however did stop his boiling anger for the Phenex heir to subside

The fact he'd been injured by a messily pawn hurt the Phenex's pride immensely

"The clan heads expect there would be a disagreement, and as such there was a last resort should communication fall" revealed Grayfia as she stepped in between the two Devil Heirs

"I was informed that if the negotiations fall my master, Sirzechs, has given me the option of settling this via a rating game with Lord Riser" at her words Rias widened her eyes

"Wait what's a rating game?" Asia asked to which both Akeno and Kiba answered her

"It's a game noble devils participate in battle to settle disagreements or for simple fun" explained Kiba, Asia nodded while Issei listened quietly

"So it's a lot like the chess game?" pressed Asia causing Akeno to nod seriously

"Exactly, it's the reason why all of us have individual powers within our evil piece, it's to participate within these rating games" she explained

"Good to know" mumbled Issei as he spotted Riser's returning arrogance

"Riser has participated in several rating games and has one several for himself, unfortunately for you Rias; you have no experience within these rating games" sneered the Phenex Heir whom also glanced down to the Gremory pawn cockily

"He knows only mature devils are allowed to participate, yet Rias hasn't even reach mature yet" Kiba frowned at his own words while both issei and Asia widened their eyes at the blatant disadvantage they have with the Phenex

"Well that sucks" mumbled Issei

"We've got worse things to worry about" cut in Koneko

Riser chuckled humorously "Is this the full extent of you pieces Rias? They're all you have?" he asked with a cocky smirk

"So what if they are" Rias snapped dismissively causing Riser to laugh a second time before snapping his fingers

When Riser snapped his finger a loud and flaming magic circle, similar to the first, suddenly erupted from the meeting room and from within came fifteen individuals, most if not all of them were all female and Issei could make out a few fetish-esque outfits adoring them

'_Mother of...' _issei left it hanging while he stared at the women before him

Each member of Risers peerage wore various outfits ranging from cat sailor costumes to chainsaw wielding loli's, a kimono was seen on one women while a skimpy bathing suit was adored by a taller women with a massive sword then skimpy armor was seen on a brown haired female with a small sword on her hip, another women wore a mask on the right side of her face and another seemed to descend from Chinese culture

Two other women wore maid outfits which were similar to Grayfia's except they had frills and then the second last one seemed to wear a white haori and a red obi which was short, leaving most of her legs exposed the last women however showed the most least amount of shame as all she wore was a pink dress with white accents, not to mention she had blonde hair done up in drill like pony tails

All in all, each woman seen wore either a skimpy outfit or a fetish styled outfit, reminiscent of a perfect harem rolled up completely with all of the cliché's except the last women seemed far more girly to be considered a harem member

Still bothered him a little though

It was a considerable change but since his encounters with both the priest as well as the fallen angels changed his outlook on life a good bit, every since experiencing the dark nature of the supernatural when he encountered Freed Sellzen had had started to wear down on the young teen to the extent of changing him entirely

He had heard stories of individuals experience "life changing" events within their lives, the easiest example would be those who say they saw god in their moment of need, skeptical for the people who didn't know the supernatural but from someone who plays for the other team had left Issei understanding what he meant

Issei hadn't experience it yet but when he was fighting Raynare he felt like he was thrusted into a jet bombing run. Everything felt so real yet completely foreign to him as the thought of death was so distant from him yet it felt so close. To be suddenly thrusted into a new way of life where death is practically your neighbor was hard to adjust to in a moment's notice so when he was facing Raynare he kept reminding himself

_This isn't fake, this is real, either fight or die_

And he had, he'd fought against Raynare and not only did he make it out alive but he had also come out stronger not just in body but in mind as well

It seemed strange for a person who's life goal was to reach the status of harem king but that didn't bring him strength did it? All it was, was just the little prepubescent voice in his head screaming out to get it some action, it didn't scream out to fight and survive, no, all it wanted was to experience pleasure and ecstasy

How could he do that if he was dead?

He felt envy when he saw the obvious harem before him but that's all it was, it was just a jealous emotion for some douche bag prick with a bad case of holier-than-thou syndrome, that its self had stop his envy for a simple stare, one that had been noticed by Riser

"Do you feel envious of me _brat?" _sneered the pure blood devil but Issei simple reply was a shake of his head

"I don't desire to be a prick like you" was his reply

All the women in the room, minus the Gremory peerage of course, quickly adopted looks of anger at the sign of disrespect towards their master

"How dare you!"

"Bastard!"

Each insult wasn't something he hadn't heard before; you wouldn't believe the amount of insults coming your way for peeping

Riser's eyes at the insult flashed dangerously before he sneered a reply "You should learn your manners when you speak to me"

This didn't detour the young devil in the slightest

"I don't care what you think of me, a seft entitled douche like you deserves nothing but a wakeup call" without even thinking the devil pawn of the Gremory house stepped forward confidently "And I'll be happy to give you said wakeup call" when he finished the familiar red and green gauntlet appeared on his left hand

"Really now... oh Mira" he called out before the women with the wooden staff walked out into the open and stood directly in front of the Phenex heir "teach him a lesson in manners"

Sensing the oncoming danger Issei called upon the gift Ddraig had given him, he didn't know how he was able to call on it so easily but that was the last thing he wanted to think about, when he felt the familiar rush of power wash over him Issei glared at the girl before him

But before he could drop the little challenger before him a sudden rush of pain crept into his body originating from his heart causing him to collapse to his knees, green energy pulsed from his veins in a bright show of unstable power causing Issei's face to contorted in both pain and confusion

Face red with struggle Issei could only watch in disappointed acknowledgement as a wooden staff rammed itself into his solar plexus, and with a following lurch of surprising strength Issei was then sent directly towards the room's roof

"GAHH!" was all he got out as all the air was forcefully removed from his lungs

"Issei!" called out almost everyone of his friends in worry but only Rias raced to his falling form, catching him gently Rias looked down in sadness at his pained expression

"Issei" she said again but this time with more emotion, the green glow in his veins looked much more spermatic then the calm pulse it had held before and Rias felt her worry rise when she felt the pace of Issei's heart rate, it took a minute but after a few seconds Issei had caught his breath and began to fight his fast pacing heart rate

Rias continue to look worriedly at her silent pawn while she heard a cocky cackle behind her which had caused her eyes to darken un-characteristically

"So that's it then? All that confidence was for nothing? Riser is impressed by how weak your pawn is Rias, and he's the wielder of the boosted gear? Hahaha! Pathetic" his confidence as well as his insults towards Issei had almost driven her over the edge but she controlled herself

"Grayfia" she called out, voice dangerously low "Inform my brother that I will go through with the rating game" The maid of the Gremory house nodded as she took in the amount of malice her voice carried

"As you wish" she said before looking to Riser

"It is settled then, Lord Riser will face lady Rias in a rating game, when would you like this game to take place?" Grayfia's words enticed a thought-full expression to befall Riser before he smiled confidently towards her

"Ten days" was all he said before he walked towards the other end of the room, the side where he had entered in, Rias shot a look towards him

"You're giving me a handy cap?" she said in an angered tone but Riser simply dismissed it

"It's to train your peerage my dear, what? Do you want to fight right now, Shirley you can understand your disadvantage?" he replied while smirking knowingly, a look that brought a scowl to Rias' face

She remained silent, she knew she'd be destroyed if she'd taken to battle him right now, she had no experience and she'd been slacking in her training up to this point, all she'd been thinking of was school since that was her whole reason on being her, that and getting a bigger peerage but now she felt anger at her own foully

So she nodded

"Good, then I'll see you in ten days my dear Rias, and make no mistake I will still destroy you, but I'll enjoy destroying you pawn first" he said with a look that seemed truly evil

A second later and the flaming magic circle quickly engulfed the peerage of 16 leaving the rooms occupants both in suspense and anger

"I can't wait to see him eat his words" growled Rias, no one had noticed it but Rias' eyes were blood red.

Many had known her to be cool headed but only Riser was able to make her this close to the edge, everything he did was to forward his own fame, he had a lot of faith in his own family but even she didn't put her whole faith in her power of destruction, his arrogance was practically born from his knowledge of his immortality thus his constant growth in ego

All he needed was a serious ass kicking and she'd be damned if she didn't take this chance to dish it out

All was pain for Issei, he had remained conscious the whole ordeal and he even heard the words of Riser dig an even deeper anger in him, he was mad not just at Riser but himself as well, whatever had happened had been the reason he had been humiliated so horribly, a man's honor was his ability to keep his words, if he can't then what kind a man is he?

_Riser is impressed by how weak you pawn is_

The words of the Phenex heir pissed him off, and that word, _weak_ was really starting to drive him up the wall but it also got him thinking again, similar to the previous night he had felt a sudden urge to grow stronger but this wasn't just to grow into a power house just for the simple pleasure of rocking anything that would piss him off but it was also to make his master Rias proud of choosing to resurrect him

He had never truly said it but he was grateful of the second chance, regardless of whom he was aligned with it still made him thank Rias for being able to see the light of the next day

But it made him feel like a total waste if he wasn't able to make his master proud, to make it so that her choice of bringing him back was the right choice and not a regretful one

_**[In time partner... the Phenex brat said ten days right?] **_Ddraig said catching Issei's attention

'_Yeah' _was his reply, he had a feeling where this was going

_[__**Ten days... in that time I'll drill everything you need in order to redeem yourself] **_Issei detected a determined edge within Ddraig's tone

'_Humph... don't need to tell me twice'_

**A/N:**

**Alright, so I got some explaining to do**

**First and foremost is probably Issei's personality change, pretty simple to explain really I just gave him more freedom of character then the anime (small rant)**

**Every anime character I see in anime always follow their basic characteristic's, for example hot head characters need to avoid all rational thought at all costs, dense characters only see things in tunnel vision both literal and metaphorical, airheads must remain retarded, if they cannot remain retarded they must be equipped with big boobs so to distract the male audience and to make the female audience jealous **

**Some characters can hold more than one basic characteristic but it still stands that most characters only hold a few that being 2-3 and most of the time the two chosen characteristics are so incompatible that it can make ones brain hurt if they put too much thought into it... I should know**

**So with all that piled up in my black heart of a self entitled reviewer such as myself I chose to make Issei a little bit more **_**real**_** (smaller rants inbound)**

**I stated last chapter that I tend to re-watch episodes so to refresh my brain on the events I must follow, and as I did I couldn't help but vibrate in irritation at the sheer level of childishness I felt with the whole DxD universe, at some point I found myself watching the third season dubbed (just cause I was bored) and when I came along Loki's fight I couldn't help but roll over in a fit of chuckles at Loki's**

"**You medaling kids!" after he yelled that I was through Scooby snacks at the screen whenever he came on screen... good god that was painful, and I love dubbed anime! Guess some translations don't fit the English context it seems**

**I know this anime isn't a serious one and its main goal is to show its latest boob animation but the fact they put so much effort into the background I started to become really disappointed at the lack of – ya know – acknowledging it and giving it more lime light**

**This all amounts to Issei's change, I can say I'm partially nervous if I managed to create a good pace of change for him as this chapter showed an extreme change to his mind but I can explain that**

**If anyone of you were to be thrown into a world were creatures of the night prowl around then I can guaranty you'd start to think differently, survival instincts take over and you start thinking outside your comfort zone, right now Issei's life has taken an extreme turn down the wrong path but he's been guided by Ddraig who **_**will **_**be a different character mind you **

**Anyways, the more dangerous the situation; the more you'd think less of petty things like sex and video games and more survival and what to do in a battle**

**And another thing, Issei's sudden desire for power is a natural human desire, everyone wants power and that's a fact, if you don't want power then you're a pylon in the way of those who will succeed biggest example is Issei in the anime who focuses more on breasts then training, the only reason he's not eating dirt every fight is because he has the "power up his sleeve" cheat, which is what every anime character has**

**Issei's in a bind= doesn't matter, he'll get a cheat code in 3...2...1 and boom he's mopped the floor with the villain**

**No... just no, not only does that insult those who train to be strong but it's gotten so old it's boring, so whatever Issei gets will be something he gets normally, as in through training the correct way, so if the anime Issei went against my universes Vali not only would he be a red stain in the concrete but a complete disappointment to not only Vali but Ddraig as well **

**That brings me to Issei's "gift"**

**At first hearing it may sound like I just gave issei a power up to batman levels but it's not perfect in the least, in most cases he's only stronger than your average rook and as fast as an above average knight with an overwhelming aura that grows with every ten seconds, his senses are also sped up so to account for the "bullet time" effect I like so much, but when issei felt the pain in his heart it was due to the fact he had deactivated the gift before it could "cool down"**

**To explain it more thoroughly just imagine a vile of soda, and when issei powers up, fill the vile slowly to a curtain level which will act as his base level of control, then when he deactivates his gift drain the vile slowly, training will help him cool down his gift faster but right now it's slow (maximum of 10mins), now when Issei activated his gift the second time he experienced an "overload" this was due to the fact his reservoir was not emptied completely and the reactivation of his gift had caused his power to rise to fast which caused the vile to "fizz up" this had caused his power to rise beyond his level of control and due to the gift being dragon in nature the power was too much on his human heart thus causing the small cardiac arrest**

**So he isn't to over powered... yet**

**Anyways now that I've smoothened out that part I want to explain a few other changes... that being the female characters**

**I have said it before that I don't consider the female cast in DxD, Akeno and Rosswiesse excluded, as any form of living being – which means I don't give a flying fuck about any of them. Period**

**So this was the idea of change that I had in mind, during my DxD marathon I happened to have completely drop all care I have for pair of tits #1 (Rias) but since I like being professional I refrained from ignoring her character and bashing the living shit outta it (giggity) in favor of making her better... In everyway**

**As I watched on to review her character I found she was nothing but the information broker for the main character and the audience. That won't be her roll in this story as instead Issei won't be the retarded, ignorant character but a character with a brain and I'll consider my audience smarter then what the anime thinks. Rias will also be given a **_**serious**_** power up grade, I have been driven to absolute rage at how weak she is in the anime**

**She has this wise ass personality but she can't seem to follow up with power it seems. I don't remember the last time she actually dented or even hit the main antagonist with her tickle magic, and her powers suppose to be destruction in energy form? Guess not... oh yeah! That right she's just a pair of tits for us to gawk at every ten seconds... totally forgot she's just **_**one**_** piece of eye candy **

**I hate characters that bark loudly but don't bite nearly as hard as their bark **

**Anyways, she the biggest change I'll make side character wise as all the others actually have a sentimental attachment to the audience while she's just a princess were Suppose to feel sorry for**

**Nope... **

**Alright, so expect change**

**R&amp;R, I did want to section this chapter off into two sections but batman Arkham knight as well as writers block has impeded my progress, I hope this chapter was just as enjoyable as the last chapter and if not I hope it wasn't dreadful... I love to keep my "epic" vibe rolling as long as possible**

**Peace ;) **


	7. The Hunt Begins: part 3

_"All warfare is based off deception" - Sun Tzu_

**-XxXxXxX-**

**With Isaac and co. / one route to the eastern orthodox church somewhere outside of turkey**

The plane ride to our next objective was a long one, with all the tension in the air it was hard _not_ to think of the coming events which brought the passing of time to crawl at a painful pace

About a haft hour ago we finished discussing our news to both Claire and Arndell who both seemed extremely shaken by the news, I wasn't fully invested with the Excalibur fragments but I knew they were a powerful item - if not the most powerful - the church had in their possession so with the news of a demon running around with the blueprint to reconstructing the full sword was terrifying

Then came to the next part of our objective

Find and lock down all Excalibur fragments, easy in the long run but considering this operation was off the grid we couldn't exactly contact the church housing them and tell them to lock down all their daily activities

I couldn't stress this enough, the only people in the church outfitted with the skills and training to take on the supernatural were exorcists, everyone else were simply civilians following their beliefs, so calling them and telling them to take the day off would upset a few people and attention was _not _what we wanted

With the info of the demon Malthus running around we knew right of the bat his intentions were war, and what better to start it then to destroy a whole continent with the weapon of holy decent

Pin the blame on someone else is always the easiest way to start a war, and I knew Malthus was gonna pin the blame on his captures; he's probably been driven mad with anger with the amount of time he's spent up in heavens prison.

"I was wondering about something" started Xenovia forcing me from my thoughts "if this demon – Malthus – is the culprit, then why were their rogue priests there as a mop up crew?"

Irina piped up with Xenovia's words

"Yeah, I was wondering about that as well"

That thought also triggered a few questions but only one of them made the best of sense

"It would be best to rule them as followers of Malthus; since one of them had his sigil on his neck I guess Malthus has found himself a group of loyal followers... heathens" I said with distain, leave it to a bunch of un-happy priests to start a posy with a freaking demon, they definitely fell into temptation

Xenovia growled lightly at my words while Irina frowned deeply, I knew why they were pissed; rogue priests weather they liked it or not still carried a small portion of the church's rep with them and for them to fall into temptation was a sign that the word of god could still be corrupted

I myself despised heretics but to a curtain degree, it wasn't completely common but some followers of the church do get exiled due to an over-zealous bishop or Archbishop who are extremely quick to pass judgment, something I dislike greatly

Say my beliefs are flexible but one haft of me hates the true heretic's but the other haft of me dislikes the churches upper brass and their power tripping leaders who are far too quick to exile the ones who are willing to repent, Asia's exile was one of the first events that caused my discontent for the upper echelon and it's frantic believers

Didn't change my dislike for the ones who actually, truly, fell into temptation, and if my guess was on the mark then we had a small or large regime of rogues on the loose as well as a demon leading them

'_Greeeeaaat'_ I groaned inwardly, as excited as my inner swordsmen was I still couldn't get my nervous side to tap out, for all my years experience with the church I hadn't actually been involved with a real anti terrorist operation involving a demon

Guess my training will finally be put to full use this time around

"Father Blackburn?" called out the co-pilot

"Yes"

"We'll be arriving at the designated location shortly"

I nodded

"Alright, so a full briefing is in order" I started while catching the other two's attention

"I'm sure you all realize our next stop is outside the city of turkey, due to the nature of this churches content, its purpose is confidential to the public eye and as a matter of fact its location is unknown to the public as well" I explained calmly

"Is this church located near a city?" asked Irina

"No, I did some digging while we were flying and apparently this churches main goal is to hold an a Excalibur fragment and thus its location is off the grid and off the streets, since it would be a prime target for rogues, fallen angels and maybe devils I figure that's a good step in securing this fragment, no need to worry about collateral... but if you're worried about scratching the paintings then..." I left my light joke hang just to alleviate some pent up stress

Didn't really work, Xenovia was un-moved and Irina smiled but I could tell it was forced... tough crowd

"What fragment are we locking down?" asked Xenovia while she looked down to a document containing the information of the seven fragments

"Nightmare" was my simple answer, Irina shivered

"Hard to believe something so divine would harbor something so terrifying" she muttered, she must've read over the effects of nightmare and I had to agree, nightmares effects is extremely... disturbing

Makes the mid night game seem like a simple game of hid and seek with no worry of insanity... or death

While the two skimmed over their separate documents I glanced over to our fourth passenger, for the most part she seemed fine, for the majority of the trip she'd been a sleep but before that I was able to get Irina's help in changing her and cleaning her up in the jets small barracks near the rear of the cabin

Good thing to, wouldn't feel very comfortable sleeping in dirty clothing and after she'd changed she'd been out like a light and hadn't woken up since then.

I wouldn't be asking her questions anytime soon anyway, not only do we know who were after but we know his intentions as well so asking her the questions would be redundant as well as irresponsible, so I'll just leave her be for now.

The best description I could have for the church we are going to would be this: it looked to be like a castle but smaller then what you may or may not be thinking, looked to cover about 100 acres of land, yeah big in retrospect but compared to some churches I've seen this one was small – medium, but just because this church was "big" didn't mean it wasn't invisible, its location was placed on the other side of a small mountain outside of any sort of view and it was away from public air space about a couple miles and there was no sign of civilization for a few miles as well, so yeah, it was invisible

In my opinion, it seemed odd for a church this historical to be left from the public but you'd be amazed at some of the other churches the public have yet to even notice, this also made our jobs much easier, no large amounts of innocents and _no _civilian priests, Arndell had contacted me an hour ago to clarify our destination as well as the occupants of said destination

Fifty men guarded the facility, each one carrying exorcist experience under their belt, if I wasn't paying much attention I would have guessed Arndell had already forwarded the attack to them already, a lot was in our favor it seemed but I wasn't counting my chickens just yet

A lot could happen in any moment so with all that was in our favor really never helped me in dropping my nervous yet ready persona, this was the closest church that held an Excalibur fragment, it was our best bet in intercepting Malthus and his followers

An attack was as good as imminent; I just hoped we could prepare the ones down on the ground before they get thrusted up shit creek without a paddle

"What will we do about the exorcist on the ground? Arndell said this operation is confidential to only us" questioned Irina while looking to me, guess she was thinking the same thing I was

I simply shrugged

"Guess will just tell them to expect an attack, if they ask 'who' or 'why' then we adlib, the 'who' part will be best described as fallen angels, Malthus is most likely alone in this so I wouldn't expect devils, the current regime in the underworld has so many followers the old maou fraction has pretty much gone dark, so our best excuse would be Rogues and fallen angels, the 'why' part... well we'll just say we found information on a group of fallen angels had learned of the location of a secret church based out here, we'll leave out the Excalibur part out for now" I answered casually, Irina simply giggled in response

"What's so funny?" I asked with confusion

"Nothing really, you just seem really experienced with all this" she said with admiration I could even sense envy in her tone, I hadn't worked any operations with these two so think of my reaction at her blatant sign of admiration to my skills and personality

Griselda said they looked up to me but I didn't think it was this much, even Xenovia nodded at her words which clearly said she agreed as well but god forbid she said it out loud

'_With the amount of time I've worked with the church it'd be heresy if I wasn't this experienced' _I said internally but I was flattered with the open complement, still felt weird though

"It's hard to believe you're only a year ahead of us" mentioned Xenovia; she even looked openly impressed with that information... very rare to see indeed

"Not to mention you graduated from scholar's class so quickly" piped Irina happily; all this attention had caused me to look to them with blank confusion as they continued to mention my accomplishments or impressive features

'_The hell did this come from?' _I must've found their clicking point as the more they agreed on something the more they engaged in conversation

"I also remember the time you sparred against Dulio-sama" Gushed Irina with sparkles in her eyes; I myself even fell into the memory of one of my closer friends

The spar between us was rather... peculiar, it was a rare instant were he wanted to actually "test" me and my abilities, that was before he vanished when I mentioned a curtain chiffon cake I rather enjoyed on my previous mission

The spar was peculiar because as Dulio and I sparred all we did was talk about food and exotic foods while we practically leveled the court yard we were in, and only I was left to clean up the mess while he was no were to be seen, I didn't even realize Irina and Xenovia witnessed that rare moment... one of the lucky few it seemed

"That was rare... I never heard of Dulio-sama looking to battle" muttered Xenovia with her hand on her chin

For the rest of the flight the two continued to pass comments of interest either involving me or someone close to me until finally we were on our final run to the private landing strip a mile away from the church, the tense air from before was pretty much washed away with the friendly conversation my two partners were engaged in, I did pip in a few times but it was good to see the two get some stress released

Once we landed on the landing strip we were greeted by a greyish white car with a crucifix engraved on the side of the doors and hood, must be some kind of warding magic so to keep the vehicles out of unholy hands

From inside the vehicle came a young man about my age appearance wise with dirty blonde hair and green eyes, the usual church priest attire adored his features but there was a few personal modifications such as a personalized crucifix located on his right sleeve and a golden crucifix hung from his neck

"Greetings, my name is father Emin Bulut, to who do I owe the pleasure of this visit" greeted father Bulut politely but I could tell he was confused

"It nice to meet you father Bulut, I'm father Isaac Blackburn and these are my associates" I introduced while stepping to the side

Irina came first with a bow of Japanese etiquette "My name is Irina shidou, pleasure to meet you father Bulut" she said with a friendly mannerism

Next came Xenovia who seemed polite yet serious at the same time "and my name is Xenovia" she said with a firm nod, I frowned slightly at her neglecting of her last name but I ignored it, it was a recent change to her life, it takes time before it can sink in

"It's a pleasure to meet you all, may I inquire of your affiliation?" he asked simply

I nodded simply "the three of us are associates of the Vatican headquarters" was my answer, Bulut's facial expression fell for a moment before he picked it back up again and waved us aboard the grey car

Once we were aboard Bulut started up again

"If you are agents of the Vatican then I can safely assume your business has something of a high importance then?" he asked causing me to nod before he continued

"Forgive my intrusion of your business but or facility runs on tight security, we don't get many visitors but we do train in accordance to all forms of 'visitors' so for all intents and purposes I would like to conduct a security check up before we proceed to the castle" he informed

"Seems you have things done to the letter father Bulut" I said with an impressed edge to my tone, Bulut smiled at my praise

"thank you for the complement but the man in change is who came up with the regime, we'll meet up with him shortly" after he finished speaking we pulled up to a security check point at the end of the landing strip, all of us filed out and headed inside

I wasn't shocked at all when I saw Vatican class computers blinking about in the main office, since this facility worked off the grid you'd be curtain they'd have the tech to work modernly about it, stone age level facilities have outlived their time and they are hard to maintain, Vatican class hardware worked efficient and was considered one of the hardest systems to corrupt, not even a low orbit EMP could take them out, and all it took was a total of ten or so people to keep a system running when it takes a hundred people to run an out dated castle

"If this isn't too much trouble, please leave all metallic items on the table" advised Bulut while he pointed to a pull up table, Xenovia and Irina both dropped their swords on the table while I simply left two light grenades on the table

"Light packer father Blackburn?" asked Bulut with surprise

"Something like that" was my reply before I stepped through the metal detecting frame.

Seeing as though I made zero alarms go off I smiled to Bulut just to alleviate him of the nervousness he had picked up from my dodgy reply, after that we proceeded to do three more security checks, the first after the metal detecting frame was retinal scanner to confirm our identity then a blood scanner for added reassurance, after that they made us swig back a bottle of holy water.. Primitive but it was a good sign of professionalism I respected

None of us complained during all this due to the nature of it reassuring us of the security the facility carried and during all of our checkups we all noticed a small squad of black clad priests standing off near the entrance, the patch of a white cross with white angel wings could be seen on the right arm

That's some back up, black clad exorcists signify a high degree of holy devotion and experience with the art of combating the unholy or fallen, I myself have one I just don't like the color black that much, all I had that signified my experience was the patch on my inner cassock

I took pride in it but if the other two saw it I wouldn't be able to hear the end of all the questions they'd have about how I "got it so early in my career with the church" so I left to simply wearing it out of view

"I would like to apologise again for taking your time with this check up" started Bulut but I stopped him with a dismissive wave

"Think nothing of it father Bulut, we all know the importance of security and seeing how thorough it was showed a good level of professionalism" I said causing Bulut to smile widely

"you honor we with your words father Blackburn" soon after that we left the check point, and thankfully father Bulut allowed both Xenovia and Irina possession of their weapons saying it was alright due to them checking out with flying colors

"So who's in charge of this facility?" asked Irina from her spot in the back seat

"Bishop Haluk Altan, a good man in my opinion, not much of us up here talk about our grimy accomplishments but some of the younger batch like me pass on information just to see how some us came to be assigned here, it helps in killing the time when were aren't locking the hell out of this facility" replied Bulut with a much more laid back attitude, seemed the positive check up had caused him to drop his worries

"What'd you learn about him?" I asked with interest

"Not much, all me and my friends know is that bishop Altan was formerly stationed in St. Esprit cathedral for a good sum of his career, did a good job to, me and my friends learned he'd taken care of a lot of people in serious binds, I'm talking Youkai mafia's holding people in debt, rogue fallen angels up to no good and even a few heretics looking for trouble, but that's not all he did, violent history aside he was actually quite popular with all kinds of other things" explained Bulut, seemed Altan was a good man

And he organized this facility all by himself? Guys got experience I'll give him that

"What you guys do mostly?" he asked calmly while he looked at his rear view mirror

"Oh, I just joined because my father was an exorcist as well" replied Irina with no less amount of pride, Bulut smiled in return

"Following the family line I see... your Japanese right?" asked Bulut

"Yes, my mother's side is Japanese but my father was born in Rome and grew up in the Vatican"

"Your Dad must be proud he raised such a fine young women" rolling the smooth flirts on Irina eh Bulut?

Irina smiled kindly at his words "thank you for the complement" if Bulut had a hat I swear he would have tipped it in her direction

"And what about you miss Xenovia?" he asked suddenly and I practically flinched when he did, Irina's past was fine to bring up but god I felt sorry for Bulut when he spotted Xenovia's glare

"Guess I shouldn't have asked, my apologies, some of my friends didn't have a good up bringing as well, so I apologise for my rude question Xenovia" good save Bulut Xenovia actually looked calmed at his tone of apology

"It's alright father Bulut" replied the bluenette dismissively, Bulut took the hint and left his next questions out in favor of driving to the main building.

The castles structure seemed mostly flat in nature, there was no raise or decline in the ground floor and all of the buildings seemed sectioned off in various areas all around the bricked off outer wall, I noticed a single floor building to our left on our way in, barracks most likely or a sleeping quarters, the whole facility looked more like a military encampment then a place full of followers of the church so I felt like I was in a much more... laid back environment

Church atmosphere was usually up tight but this felt much more lax then what I've been around for so long, I liked it but I could tell Irina and Xenovia were either disappointed or couldn't care less

"Bishop Altan is located in the chapel just ahead of us, I wish I could accompany you but my business continues elsewhere" informed Bulut, I simply outstretched my hand to him

"Pleasure talking to you father Bulut" I said while shaking his hand

"Pleasure was all mine father Blackburn... ladies" Bulut replied while tipping his imaginary hat to the girls in the back seat

"Nice meeting you Bulut" piped Irina while Xenovia nodded to him politely

The three of us departed soon after leaving Bulut to pull out and drive off to another section of the castle while we walked to the chapel a good jaunt away

The chapel was finally taken care of as the flooring was carpeted down the middle while the rest was hard wood and polished to shin, the pews were also well kept and even showed a luxurious design to the arm rests

The last was the alter down to the other end of the chapel, Irina even commented on the well painted roof that had similar paintings like the one in London, the alter however had a massive stone crucifix on a stone alter table with various flowers and cloths

One man stood at the altar, from behind he look well built, nothing like Sylvester Stallone but he was built, he wore a black priest outfit and a patch similar to the men and women at the security gate, the wings of the holy spread proudly on his right arm, his skin seemed tan to a degree and his hair was dirty blonde just like Bulut's

"You three must be my visitors from the Vatican" he called out with a light but gravel voice before turning to look to us calmly, the security team at the gate must've already informed him of us

"You've got a tight security unit bishop Altan, you must be proud" I said in return, his lips raised at the complement before he nodded

"Yes, as a matter of fact I am, they even dug up a few things about you just now... the three of you were just seen in London, St. Paul's cathedral about a day ago if I recall" he said while sitting down on one of the pews

"Word gets around quickly it seems"

He chuckled lightly "well what can a man do when his job is to watch over one of the strongest and most historical artifact that is an Excalibur fragment" after he said that he waved me over to sit down to which I ablidged, the tension in the room dropped down to extreme business

"You were aware of the attack then?" I asked with slight surprise

"Hmm, you're not very close in the loop are you father Blackburn?" his counter question brought me down a peg a little, was I in the loop? With how well Altan had learned of my name as well as my business had me guess I wasn't just dealing with rusty exorcists but _ready_ and _involved _exorcists

"Could you enlighten me then bishop Altan?" I asked politely, he nodded

"When I learned of the attack of St. Paul's cathedral I knew a storm was heading my way... my security wasn't always that thorough father Blackburn" he said while placing his grey and aged eyes on my blue and "young" eyes

"Were the front lines father Blackburn, the blueprint the heretic's stole uses riddles to hide the location of all the fragments but the easiest one is always the first one... A good plan to lure in the ones who dared to steal what is ours" continued Altan with a serious tone

"You must know a lot about the blue print then" I muttered but he answered quickly

"Well that's because it was _my_ plan to lure in the thieves" my eyes widened

"You're one of the few who created the blue print then?" I asked and he nodded

"It would be irresponsible of me to _not _guard what I've created, almost all the Excalibur fragments are guarded by the ones who created a reconstruction blueprint" he informed before he gestured for all three of us to follow him "Come, and I will show you your objective"

Placing his hand on the stone a blue light shown through the stone and the table jutted out to reveal a set of stairs leading down into a basement similar to the cathedral, I could feel the holy energy emitting off the stone ways, it felt cold but warming at the same time no doubt Excalibur nightmares doing, its aura was said to cast a ominous vibe all around it for miles, this tome was probably more a seal then a hiding spot

"I don't know who's attacking but what I do know is that if the Vatican sends in three agents then I know a storm is truly heading our way" he started while we walked down into the basement, the stone entrance way soon closed and UV lights kicked in to allow light in the cold dark stair way

"I know the contingency, I organized it so I know when to step back at let you guys do your thing, your jobs to lock down the Excalibur fragment while we deal with the attacks, but if need be I'd rather no one be down here however, the walls are thick but that doesn't mean your divinity is invisible, I've tested it, we got the Excalibur's true aura lock away but its ominous vibe remains _only _when the door is opened everything else however can still be sensed" explain Altan

"This is just a tour then" I muttered

"In a sense yes, I'm sure you want to see your objective first hand and I already log you guys in as pass code's via hand print scanner I copied from the watch tower when you did your little security check... just don't lose your hand" advised Altan

"Father Bulut said you were experienced, but this is taking the cake" I said with loads of respect

"I like to prepare for the worst, and the worst is happening" was his final words before we entered the basement room, it was a full dome about 15 feet high and various metal contraptions hooked up to a sleek glass container which was hook to the floor by what seemed to be steel bolts, and inside floated Excalibur nightmare

It looked like a guard less roman short sword except it was much longer and had a blackish white glow to its blade that seemed to pulse if you look at it to long

"I thought this was a fragment, why is it in sword form?" questioned Xenovia while looking to Altan

"Don't ask me, couple years ago a few of your Vatican zealots dropped it off here a few months before I was finally stationed here, I never actual knew what the Excalibur's looked like until I laid my eyes on it"

I remained silent while I skimmed over the swords security, and all I could say was it was snug, it'd take a lot power to knock that glass over and even more to shatter it

"What do you think father Blackburn? Is she a work of modern security or something better?" asked Altan with a knowing smirk

"I'd say the latter; it'd take a hell of a lot of man power to break it, and that would take a serious amount of time to do it"

"Glad you like my handy work, now if you all could follow me I'd like to keep this section of the castle off limits... were going into lock down soon so if you will all follow me" he gestured to which we all filed out of the basement

**-XxXxXxX-**

When we reached the top of the chapel's secret entrance the entrance to the basement shut and sealed off, I knew now what he meant about no one being down there, as soon as the entrance closed the Excalibur's aura diminished as well leaving its presents completely sealed off from the rest of the world

"What's the plan of defense bishop Altan?" asked Xenovia after a minute of silence

Altan glanced to her before answering "Well miss Xenovia, for now I'd say nothing, but when the inevitable attack does occur, we defend the castle, simple as that" he started before he shrugged

"I'm sure you know a few contingencies on defending a location; we really don't have a set plan as most of the time plans usual lead to disappointment or confusion, so all I did was prioritizing specific locations for us to keep under protection. Obviously the chapel is the main priority, but since I'd rather not make it seem that way I've sent more of my defence over to the cathedral which has all of the fake paintings you can imagine, then after that the rest are spread out evenly all across the castles perimeter"

"Good idea as any" I said calmly, he had this pretty well thought out

Plans usually only work best with small units but if one is working with fifty experienced men and women then plans are only hindrances, each person should know what the defending contingencies are at this point not to mention the idea of predicting the supernatural is almost as hard as guessing the temperature with a toaster, everything in this business is random and will always will be

For better or worse

"So what will you three be doing until our uninvited guests arrive?" asked Altan

"Do you happen to have a direct connection to the Vatican headquarters? I'd like to update the Archbishop of our status" was my reply, Altan nodded before he waved for us to follow him to a two story building in the middle of the castles interior; from there we climbed the stairs and entered a control room with a flat screen over the window so to allow zero light in the room

"The line is open to all church frequencies just punch in whatever signal numbers you need and it'll connect you shortly" informed Altan before he left the room to give us our privacy

'_Alright... now how on earth did I do this the last time' _I said inwardly while fumbling with the frequency dial, for about a minute I worked my nonexistent magic on the dial before Irina reached in and turned it to the correct frequency before pressing the green button above the dial

Glancing to my assistant I spotted Irina nervously smile at me before she rounded behind Xenovia commercially, guess she saw my eye brow twitch... cheeky women

Ignoring my desire to call her out I directed my attention to the blue loading bar on the white screen that which had shown to life from Irina's _tampering_

"This is Archbishop Arndell... voice confirmation and call sign required" came Arndell's mechanically enhanced voice then followed his image

"Father Isaac Blackburn, call sign: Paladin" there was a pause before he replied

"Good to hear from you father Blackburn, what's your status?" Asked Arndell with a pleased tone

"Positive" I relied firmly

"Good to hear, how's the setup looking? Is the Excalibur fragment in lock down?" pressed Arndell, I could tell he was nervous, the mechanized tone over the speaker didn't hide that amount of emotion, and anxiety was his best classification right now

"As far as a military class lock down can go Archbishop, all seems well; the security is tight and the location of the fragment has been isolated and all aura of the Excalibur is all but nonexistent" I informed, I myself was impressed with the security

"And now all you're doing is waiting for the culprits to arrive?" he asked, it seemed like a clarification then a real question

"As far as our movements are concerned, yes, however I'd like to know of the status of the other Excalibur fragments" I was worried the demon was far more intelligent than I thought so I just felt it was necessary to know if this was his next intended target

There was a pause before he answered "I just check over the status of all of them, everyone of them seem to be in working order and I have yet to hear any lock down procedures occurring in any of them"

So all was in the clear, this was hard to work with in the long run, the attack on St. Paul's cathedral happened almost a full three hours ahead of us and it seemed the demon had a head start in taken the Excalibur's but the fact we were here and with no sign of attack made me almost bite my nails in nervousness

"Were missing something here" I said while putting my hand on my chin

Then I thought of something that I hadn't acted on since we left the cathedral in London

"Hey Xenovia, do you still have those recorded video feeds from our investigation in the cathedral?" I asked, the bluenette in question raised her eyes to me quickly before she quickly nodded and reached into her large white cloak and handed me a single video tape... sadly it was VHS

Even I know that's ancient tech right there

'_Who the hell uses VHS these days' _gotta hand it to the church, they know how to keep it classic... and really old

"the priest that helped me burn this one off said it was the best camera they had, and all they had left was one tape that only turns on during a supernatural attack, this is all they had that could possibly help us shed light on the attacker" she said to which I nodded, at least they had a contingency for an attack with no survivors

It took me some time but I managed to find a dusty VHS player among some other techno gadgets I had little time to even know what they were

"I may have a small lead Archbishop, give me a moment while I look this over" I said, Arndell nodded

"Take all the time you need father Blackburn, any lead is as good as any"

For a moment I looked to the VHS tape and back to the VHS player and then I looked to Irina who seemed to lock on to my gaze with confusion

"Alright you technology wizard, do you know how to work a VHS player?" I asked simply

"Y-yeah, just plug the – never mind just let me hook it up for you" Irina quickly snatched the VHS tape and did a bunch of mumbo jumbo with the player and soon enough she beckoned us over to the TV she had also hook up for us as well

Both Xenovia and I looked to her, silently and ignorantly asking her why it wasn't playing

"Jeez, you guys ever use a TV before?" she asked, completely perplexed on our ignorance to modern technology

"No" we said in unison, Irina simply grumbled while muttering how Xenovia managed to handle even getting the copy before she tapped a sideways triangular button on the player and soon the tape began its long course, thankfully the angle was directly center to the main hall

But my expression darkened when the attack actually took course

The video was full of mild static but all of us I'm sure made out a figure leaving the secret basement we found on our investigation, the scene quickly turned R rated as almost all of the churches Exorcists rushed the dark figure we had yet to even distinguish

The first two seemed to be bisected before they could even realize it and quickly fell to the floor dead, I spotted a glimmer or what looked to be a sword held in the figures right hand then a few flashes resonated and three priests fell to the floor, this time a gun was seen in his left hand

I was starting to connect the dots, the person we were watching was none other than Malthus himself, the video was full of static but that couldn't hide the dark inhumanly sized smile on his features and glowing orange orbs for eyes glaring at all who opposed him

After that it all went straight to hell, with the massacre playing before me I watched as Malthus practically played with the little few in charge of security, men, women and even a small boy were victim to has rampage

I could feel my hands shaking when I saw, in slow motion, the look of pain and fear on the boys face as the life faded from his eyes, tears streaking down his cheeks slowly

Malthus was truly a demon, in the ways of demonology it is said that any that fall victim to a demon have their souls dragged from their bodies and eaten by the demon and they remain with the demon until the demon is exorcised

My previous fear of Malthus was gone the minute I saw that sight, all that remained was a sheer drive to erase that creature with extreme prejudice

The others expressions differed from my own, Xenovia was silent but her eyes almost glowed with anger at seeing her fellow exorcists fall at the hands of Malthus and they were narrowed much farther than I had ever seen

Irina however was much different

I felt a tug on my cassock sleeve and turned to see her fighting tears, she just silently held my sleeve before she hugged it tightly, and the amount of emotion she was feeling was far different then me and Xenovia's anger

She was more sad at the deaths then angered by Malthus's deeds

With Irina as she was I continued to watch, I had to, any information can help shed light on his intentions, all I had to do was see it and I'd clarify my suspicion

After another minute or so things started to turn weird, when for a moment the screen showed the demon walk off to the left towards a set of doors before entering them, I heard over the volume a set of screams and a few gun shots before they stopped, _then_ it got weird

Seeing Malthus exit the room he had entered the demon walked slowly over to the middle of the room before he stopped, my blood ran cold at what he did next

Malthus looked calm but his eyes reignited in an orange glow and his head snapped to look straight the screen, for a moment he just stood there and stared down the camera that was high up in the roofs canopy for him to even reach it but I felt a sense that he was not just looking at the screen

No

He was looking at _me_

When I finally came to that conclusion Malthus waved to the camera with his evil smile before he walked himself _back _into the secret room down below, after that the screen went into a static blizzard signifying the end of the footage

"There will be no place where you can hide demon" growled Xenovia, she usually kept her emotions low and in check but she didn't hide it here, she looked _pissed _

My previous anger for Malthus subsided albeit slightly when I remembered the look Malthus had sent towards the camera, it felt like it was silent threat, a promise that the bloodshed was not over

And that I was next

'_your mind games won't work on me demon' _this was as about as angry as I've ever been in a long time, I took great care in keeping my anger low and out of mind but right now, if I started swinging, my blade would be tainted with the need of retribution and my skills would be dull

"Father Blackburn... Are you still there?" came Arndell's voice

"Yeah, I'm here archbishop" I replied while walking to sit in front of the screen, Irina let go of my arm and went and stood a distance away from the screen but Arndell spotted this and looked to me

"I take you saw something you wish to forget" he said as more of a fact then a question, I had to agree, I wanted nothing more than to get that image of the boy out of my head, there are things even I can't handle with a cleared head and that image kept playing over and over and with each time I remembered the boys expression the hotter my anger became

"More then you can imagine" I replied, Arndell nodded before he got back onto topic

"We need a lead father Blackburn, if you learned anything then can you tell me?" he asked while pressing toward the bigger picture

I shook my head "all I learned is that Malthus..." I was about to say something witty and anger filled but then I suddenly thought of something

"Jesus... the last thing I saw before the screen cut out was him returning to the Excalibur blueprints hiding place, that was all I saw before the screen cut out" I started before I looked to Xenovia

"Did you happen to learn anything else about the type of camera they had up there?" I asked, Xenovia didn't look like she wanted to talk but she forced it out

"All he said was it activates when a supernatural being is inside the cathedral, and it turns off when there isn't... oh" it dawned on her when she finished her explanation

Arndell however picked up from our train of conversation "what you two are talking about is a newly distributed camera feature, we don't have a classification name for it but all it does is as Sister Quart–Xenovia said" he started while fixing his mistake

"Its function is to read the perimeters aura readings and only activates it recording feature when a being or supernatural decent enters the area, it deactivates when the aura leaves its effective range"

Well that leaves me confused, if the camera turned off when Malthus went into the basement then that means he left _inside_ the church but that was even harder to believe, the runes below may have been practically faded to uselessness but that didn't mean crap if the whole damn cathedral is already protected with a divine aura exclusive to pretty much ever church around the world

Nothing gets in or out without dying painfully, and I knew Malthus was still alive, there would be no way that demon did all that just to die from a brain dead mistake, he may have gotten into the cathedral but it must've taken a hell of a pain threshold but then again, since Malthus was a former prisoner from heaven then I'm sure he's built some kind of tolerance to the divine, still would hurt like hell but it wouldn't be anything he isn't too familiar with

But that didn't explain anything else, the camera feed cut out meaning he had left the premise, but from the cameras footage he was not leaving but going back into the Excalibur blueprints secret holding place

_I-I...Di-didn't...do...it_

Amelia's words for some reason resounded in my head, something about her comment bugged me greatly, and why would she say something like that? Did she think we were accusing her of being the attacker?

!?

'_Oh sh- _my thoughts quickly changed into realization

The one thing I forgot about demons was their natural ability to possess weak humans through negative emotions be it through, sadness, anger, fear and lastly nervousness, if the demon is strong enough

And one of the other abilities that follows that is if a demon feels it is in danger of exorcism then it can bury itself within the victims soul, it pretty much hide's its presents perfectly when that occurs

And all this added up to my realization but by the time I had realized my mistake it was already too late

_**BOOOOOOM**_

A grand explosion resounded from the air field and from the window I could see the watch tower in the distance fall in a massive fire ball, the screams of the exorcists near the inferno reverberated as well

Soon after that explosion magic circles sprouted all around the perimeter of the castle

Fallen angels, dozens of them rushed out of the vertically summoned magic circles and headed directly down to the castles wall, many priests I saw quickly filed into an expert formation in front of the walls now closed doors while others formed a secondary defence along the road

Weapons of various types were drawn; the close range types looked ready to battle the devil himself while the ones with range weapons like Bows, rifles, pistols and even a freaking Gatling gun set up in front row positions

This was almost like watching a modern war inside an outdated castle

I didn't have a clue as to why the fallen hadn't flown over the wall but I guessed there was something there from keeping from doing so, the inevitable fire fight was about to commence when suddenly the door opened and Altan came in with a look that was ready for war

He was seen carrying an olden styled single edged Ottoman sword with golden trim and a few silver crucifixes were also seen on its hilt-less guard

"Looks like your gamble was correct Bishop Altan" I said hollowly

"Aye, as much as I'm happy it actually has I'm not entirely sure if it's good or bad to be proud of it, it was _my_ people in that watch tower" he said with a calm tone but I could tell he was angry

"So the fallen angels are the culprits? Damn crows, pecking at anything that shines to bright" growled Altan with a amused tone

Forgetting my thoughts for now I rolled my shoulders so to prepare

"You appear un-armed father Blackburn, May I suggest a trip to the armory?" he asked while eyeing my lack of weaponry, a flash of soft white light and he quickly forgot of that

"Never mind, seems you're already prepared" he said while eyeing my Zetsurin sword with keen interest

"I like to plan ahead" was my only answer before I moved on to brass taxes "the three of us will handle the retrieval of wounded and help deal with the higher ranked fallen angels if we see them while you tend to your people bishop Altan" I said while checking my gears inventory "but our main goal is to make sure no one even looks at the chapel" I finished

Altan nodded before he pointed out a window, towards a second gate smaller then the main one just near the rear of the castle on the left side, I saw various emplacements of various weapon establishments near said gate as well

"If things become too hairy a fall back point is located on the other side of the gate, not a priority but if you do happen to find any wounded then bring them there" he informed before two of his officials came by

"We'll keep that in mind bishop, stay safe" I said

Altan nodded "and to you as well Father Blackburn"

I watched as the two officials escorted the bishop before I looked outside again

Jesus, this didn't feel like a castle full of church officials but one with ex military soldiers wearing church attire. Then again every single one of them were exorcists, each one of them has seen what the supernatural are capable of and there was also no worry of civilian witnesses as well

Guess this is what it looks like when fifty exorcists command over a castle, there is no beating around the bush nor was there any fear of the public eye watching over their every move, none of that bared down on the castle or the occupants, all that bared down them was a damn near close comparison to what a shadow war looks like when the gloves are off

By this time we started to here the fire fight take full force, the two with me had long since prepared by dropping their white cloaks to reveal their black skin tight... leotards, with leather thigh highs and arm sleeves, various straps and buckles ran along a few areas making it so the attire remained tight

I shook my head at the sight... damn near left no room for the imagination, I had a hard time when I first saw them and I still question their design even today

"Y-your staring senpai" called out Irina which launched me from my thoughts

"Eh?" I asked with confusion before I saw a lightly blushing Irina whom was covering her chest; Xenovia was just glaring but was also covering up

"Stop staring, its embarrassing enough wearing these as it is" continued Irina while fanning towards me

Calmly I turned around so to appear in control but I was red at being caught doing that, my damn male hormones had caused me to lock my sights

Thinking quickly I Glanced out the window towards the front gate and I released a calmed breath at the steady line of defense, sure the fallen were in large numbers, larger then I'd seen in while, but the exorcists in charge of crowd control seemed to be holding steady... still didn't mean we should remain idle

Glancing back to my fellow Vatican agents who seemed to drop have forcefully forgotten the event prior I started a rundown of our operating routine

"Alright you two, listen up" my voice felt like it was much more serious as I intended, but I continued none the less when they looked to me just as serious "since you two haven't actually trained in operating with the division I'll run down how we perform in the field" the two stood to attention, I smiled before continuing

"We act as unit, max number of three per team, small manoeuvrable unit that hits hard when needed and leaves when the jobs done" I paused so to see if they understood, all I got was two firm nods "we use hit and run tactics, nothing more and nothing less, Xenovia you've got the big sword so you're the guard breaker you see anything in need of smashing then give 'em hell" Xenovia nodded before I turned to Irina "Irina you're good in speed runs and quick retreats so you're my runner, if I need something down quick and it's in your power then I expect it down to the best of you ability, understood?" she seemed taken aback by my serious tone but she nodded seriously anyway

"yes senpai!" there's the Japanese decent kicking in, I hadn't realized it but whenever she uses Japanese in her sentences it means she's "in control" as in her emotions are in check

_Excellent!_

"Alright then ladies... let's get a move on" once we got our rolls down we high tailed it to the exit and hulled ass down stairs

**-XxXxXxX-**

The situation outside was hell, the forces of the exorcists and the fallen angels were at a near stalemate and it seemed no side was giving in, I had long since classified our situation as a powder keg, any slip in defence and this could go a thousand miles south to FUBAR

The number of fallen seemed to vary but I could tell we were outnumbered but we could still hold. I had yet to see a leader class take the field however, all that came in were single winged and maybe a few four winged fallen but it didn't seem to alter the Gatling guns efficient crowd control, almost every two winged fallen that got unlucky was almost torn to shreds by the gun emplacement but the few that did make it through found themselves locked in combat with the many close quarters exorcists outfitted with various swords and blunt force weapons

It was a serious warzone out here

"Isaac!" called out Xenovia as she pointed at a small squad of fallen bearing down on our position

Two of the three fallen summoned a set of light spears of different color before they threw them towards me and Irina

In a flash of movement the light spears shattered before they hit their mark courtesy of my quick Iaido sword skills, the three fallen seemed shocked but they only quicken their pace towards us, they'd try CQC instead

Not exactly a good choice

The three fallen were unaware as Xenovia kicked off a wall and used her lower body strength to kick off the wall and hurl herself at the fallen at impressive speeds

The first chosen target Xenovia had sped to received a powerful thrust of a massive sword into his upper torso while a second one received a quick round house kick mid air due to Xenovia spinner herself on her blade handle, a audible crunch resounded signifying a broken noise

When her damage was done Xenovia looked to the third fallen whom had finally realized his allies had been engaged quicker then he'd even noticed

"Die priest" he yelled but it was all he got out before a long gash appeared on his chest

Irina landed a good distance from the third fallen and swiped her blade to clean it of the blood she had received from her attack, the wounds on the fallen seemed more fatal when Irina finally sheathed her blade

"Gahhhh" coughed the fallen as he fell from the sky, dead before he touched the ground

By this time I finally started to realize the sheer amount of brawls all around us, thinking quickly I signalled a regroup sign with my finger swirling in the air, the two quickly bound back to me and remained in ready positions

"Our duty is the retrieval of wounded if at all possible, when you get the chance ask anyone if there are any of our people pinned down and we'll retrieve them!" I yelled, the loudness of the brawl and gun fire made it exceptionally hard to communicate

"Hai!" came Irina's affirmative; Xenovia just turned to me and nodded

Soon we were moving, our location was a couple blocks from the actual defensive line were a large brawl of fallen single sets fought professional veteran exorcists we seemed to be holding but I knew a party crasher was in bound and it seemed _he _was taking _his_ sweet time in getting here

Pretty soon the three of us spotted a cluster of fallen surrounding a small contingent of gunmen and women inside a small cabin sized building down the road, with a flick of my wrist I sent a signal finger towards the four fallen

"Irina, you're up" the level of chaos wasn't enough for me to lose focus so I took a small chance in tossing some last minute training into Xenovia and Irina's first division operation

The two didn't even say anything as Irina took off, she may as well be the fastest female exorcists in her grade and her favoring of a katana class weapon helped complement that aspect perfectly. In a quick flurry of sudden movement the fallen angels had zero time to avoid the quick none life threatening slashes that left large none lethal gashes on their torso's however a single fallen was much more weaker from the others and happened to find the gash lethal and fell from his squad of four

He bled out on the ground below

Then came Xenovia, her weapon was large and looked reminiscent of the "buster sword" I've seen in many weapon replica stores, its bladed wasn't as massive and looked more narrow and slightly longer then what I remembered and its blade was much thicker then the handle

All this sword did was almost shred any targets defense _if _they were dumb enough to actually block instead of dodge, I hadn't really asked Xenovia her reason of favoring the "breaker sword" but it did a great job in breaking guards, first time I sparred with her I made the mistake of blocking and reaped my mistake through a sore, almost sprained, wrist

Sure did break my guard though, damn near broke my wrist

Xenovia moved slower then Irina but her speed meant nothing if her opponents were either off balance or too busy with turning their aim towards a target opposite of where Xenovia was making her charge

The first fallen seemed to realize he was being flanked and quickly turned to respond, however his arrogance had almost ordered him to block and not dodge like a skilled fighter and he suffered almost as bad as I did but instead he got the worst case scenario

_**CRUUUNNCH!**_

The fallen may have the advantage over humans with their superior strength and speed but that meant jack when it came to our similar defense prowess, and single set fallen were no exception to this fact. The fallen had set his hand against his light spear/sword for added defense, hoping his strength would be enough to overpower the momentum built by Xenovia's "breaker sword"

Horrendous mistake

The wrist of the fallen almost completely folded in haft as the massive sword dwarfed the fallen's yellow light spear and with the force behind Xenovia's swing, almost completely shattered the fallen's spear/sword

"AHHH!" he yelled as the momentum built behind Xenovia's swing sent the now unfocused fallen flying down towards the small contingent of exorcists who no doubt would finish Xenovia's job

A single gunshot confirmed that theory

Using the weight of the fallen that she had just sent to his doom Xenovia pulled her sword in the opposite direction and spun mid air towards the second last fallen whom wasn't as unprepared as the first and quickly dunked under her swing but he never expected to receive a follow up kick to his jaw

With Xenovia's momentum off course she allowed the sword to carry her to the ground below while Irina switched with her and quickly did a second pass

"Damn bitch!" yelled one of the fallen as a second gash was seen on his back this time

Before the two fallen could regroup to attack Irina I stepped in and sped past the fallen

The fallen seemed to be frozen in place but the appearance of ten more gashes, deeper than the ones Irina dealt, appeared and caused them to fall to the floor dead

_Click_

Softly sheathing my sword calmly I looked to the contingent of exorcists within the cabin

"Everyone alright?" I asked out loud over the distant gun fire and yelling

A single un-damaged female exorcist quickly left the cabin and stepped in front of me "For the most part we are, we have wounded and a few in a critical state" she said through a worried set of eyes

Aside from contrary belief not all exorcists are hardened individuals with impenetrable consciousnesses, they may face against the unknown daily but that didn't mean they weren't still "human" and the women before me was a good example of that

Any other person in a warzone like this wouldn't face emotions such as worry or nervousness openly as it could end one's life but since exorcists weren't soldiers it was much more common and a single male exorcist with a silver ring on his wedding hand and a stomach wound had helped me understand the women's fears

"Irina, Xenovia, prepare to escort the wounded" I beckoned, the two still remaining alert quickly dropped their guards and ran into the cabin, this was a standard training exorcise for everyone in the Vatican

Exorcists aren't just assassins dealing out god's word and retribution via blade or bullet but we actually, more than likely, specialize in search and rescue... of supernatural occurrences or course

And this was almost drilled into our cranium since day one

Xenovia and Irina made quick efficient work of any untreated field dressing before they helped the low man power escort the less mobile wounded with stretchers while others simply had a shoulder to lean on

"We'll help you escort them to safety" I said calmly while glancing towards the front gate, a flurry of movement and I spotted a group of exorcists run up to the gunner's position which caused me to sigh in relief

I was prepared to help if it was necessary and I feared my decision to divert from helping the tiring gunner had me think I was abandoning him to die, good thing my worry was short lived

"Thank you" muttered the female exorcist before she moved to help the man with a gut wound

Normally a wound that critical would be considered a lost cause but I knew the church officials had magic on our side to help heal a wound like his

Soon after I had Irina and Xenovia help carry the wounded I took point along a few exorcists, one held a set of dual wielded church grade hand cannons while another had a European sword with no guard and the last one held two light swords, he seemed injured but his angered look and determined expression kept me from asking him to "take a knee"

It'd also pisses him off if a seemingly young exorcist polity asked him to stay back

The old breed did have their reputation to uphold for the young ones and it seemed pain threshold was his daily lesson for the younger exorcist to his left

As the small squad of ours hustled through the hell zone it became well aware to the fallen that we were easy targets and as such they almost rushed us, we would have been massacred if it wasn't for the defensive line we made around the wounded

Any unlucky or bold fallen would catch a bullet in either his face or somewhere lethal and fell from the sky like a wet rag doll and any fallen smart enough to classify our gunner as priority were quickly taken down by either me or any other CQC styled exorcist

During the whole escapade of escorting the wounded to the rear exit I was taking the sparse time in evaluating the situation, I made it curtain our next stop was the gunner as I'm sure he's wishing a retreat is in order

Due to the defensive lines effectiveness most of the invading fallen were almost completely cut in haft, there was a small chance of a leader class invading but I highly doubted it, fallen captains don't particularly like hanging back when a fight is presented, they usually cut loose as much as their fellow man so if one was here I would have already noticed by now

_**BANG! BANG!**_

The exorcist beside me reported two more shots concluding two fallen's lives permanently before he clipped in two more magazines into his weapons and continued to lay down suppressive fire, one fallen had attempted to bound in on our rear but the dual wielding light swordsmen quickly jumped in and cleaved both his wings off, by the time we rounded the corner to the rear exit the support fire from the Gatling gun emplacement finally started to repel more fallen with its massive calibre rounds

I was glad I had managed to help escort every exorcist we had found, I had expected some casualties but I was heavily relieved we hadn't and now my fellow Vatican agents and I were watching them enter the rear entrances

"Thank you again father, we are in your debt" called out the female exorcist, I simply nodded firmly before me, Irina and Xenovia turned tail and ran back down the road we came in by

Xenovia stopped at the Gatling guns weapons cache and quickly pick up two belts of ammo and hoisted them over her shoulder

Gotta hand it to the two before me, they seemed like a duo of inexperienced exorcists but they were actually more opened minded then even some I've worked with

The three of us rounded the corner only to notice the road we had come down completely full of single set fallen and even a few four winged fallen, the remnants of the exorcists beforehand were completely vacant or dead

However the three of us didn't stop in our full tilt sprint, both me and Irina quickly un-sheathed our weapons and gunned it ahead of Xenovia whom was weighed down by the ammo belt

"More exorcist scum, eradicate them!" beckoned a loud voice, from behind the large platoon of fallen I spotted a six winged fallen point towards the three of us with an expression of conviction

'_Found a lieutenant class' _I thought while I locked my rush into his direction

Due to our predicament of one of our squad members being weigh down both me and Irina had no choice but to rush through them and deal lethal hits as best as we could, Xenovia may be weighed down but her swing carried more force than Irina so any stragglers she may leave would be dealt with by Xenovia

"Engage!" I yelled and in a flurry of quick movement the front row of fallen fell from deep cuts courtesy of both me and Irina, two fallen staggered through our first strikes but they were quickly cut down by two swings from Xenovia's "breaker sword"

"Your sins shall be answered, amen!" bellowed Irina as she continued to cut through the fallen alongside myself

By the time a second wave came down on us the first row was neutralized efficiently, and the second line of defense met the same fate as the first

Irina ducked a horizontal swing from a fallen and quickly whipped around and swung diagonally down on the shocked fallen, ending the fallen quickly, Irina's senses were sharper then some of the other exorcists in her class so she quickly rolled to her side when a red light spear smacked into the dirt road where she formerly stood

Wasting no time in Irina's opening the fallen fired a second light spear; well he would have if I hadn't quickly relieved him of his throwing arm

"AHHH- _**SING**_

Before the fallen could finish his yell of pain I ended him with a quick swing to his throat

While I landed Irina sped passed me and sunk her blade into a fallen baring down me, with herself wide open due to her weapon being sheathed in a fallen's gut I quickly recovered from my landing and barreled past Irina and did in two more fallen who were moving in to take her out

Ripping the blade from the fallen she had stabbed Irina quickly swiped her blade clean and continued taking down fallen

Xenovia seemed the least in tuned in the action due to her carrying the ammo belt but she was considered the most muscular in her class, she may have a small form to others but she was highly capable with using heavy swords with deadly efficiency

Using the moment from her previous swing Xenovia carried her swing to a second fallen that had managed to survive mine and Irina's on slot and ended him quickly with a wet '_Thunk'. _for a moment Xenovia was wide open for an attack and it seemed a fallen was well aware of the opportunity

"Die!" yelled the older fallen as he barrelled towards her open ribs

Before the fallen could manage a hit he was surprised when Xenovia poll vaulted over him when her sword crashed into the ground

Using her strength Xenovia gritted her teeth and brought her large sword to bear and swung down on the fallen that was too caught up in being shown up that he wasn't able to block let alone dodge the life ending strike that dug into his back gruesomely

"GAH" coughed the fallen before he fell over dead

Xenovia didn't give a second glance as she continued to mop up the fallen Irina or I may have missed

By this time the fallen numbers down the road dwindled down to a rough margarine it once was, and now the fallen were only ten strong instead of the fifteen or twenty they had before but this made them more rabid then before

They may have put their superior pride away but that didn't mean they weren't completely blinded by anger of their fallen brethren

During the whole of the skirmish my sword always returned to the sheath but now that their numbers became smaller as well as more sporadic the level of danger the fallen had grew immensely

Normally a fighter who grows angry gets weaker but fallen were strong in numbers and can easily overwhelm a small group of three with relative ease and add their anger made them dangerous but right now I had a contingency to cut that danger down before my allies received any wounds of critical level

By this time the fallen had grouped up in front of us causing a halt in the slaughter, both Irina and Xenovia showed they would consider the fallen's small retreat a chance to catch their breath

Xenovia and Irina seemed all but drained of adrenaline due to the stop in combat which now left them vulnerable

'_Looks like I have no choice' _I thought bitterly

The fallen became extremely angry when we stopped and waited for them to choose their next move, fallen by nature are extremely prideful, due to their close relation to Lucifer, the demon of pride who was once an angel, they seemed to carry his aspect closely and the sight of us _inferior_ beings waiting for them to choose whatever action they wanted was basically us saying "do what you wish, it will not change the outcome"

So imagine what it'd feel having ten or so extremely salty fallen giving a gnarly stink eye to the three of us, and then add the amount of fuel Xenovia was adding with her silent glare was basically pouring napalm fuel on the flame

"You damn priests..." growled the six winged fallen who was almost shaking with rage but it quickly exploded a minute after "Kill them all, I want them all dead NOW!" yelled the six winged fallen who raised his hand like an executioners axe, and the effect caused every fallen to bear down on us like a platoon of javelin missiles

The two beside me seemed to ready themselves but I simply held my sheathed blade horizontally before me, a calm yet cold expression held on my facial features that, for a split second, caused the last remaining fallen to second guess their decision in charging use blindly

Time slowed down to a crawl as all sound in the immediate vicinity was neutralized and all that remained was a single sound of a blade leaving a sheath

And bright light followed after causing the fallen to faultier in their charge while both Irina and Xenovia closed and shielded their eyes from the light

Wasting zero time with my distraction I quickly changed my grip into a reverse grip and raised the blade above my head

_**VVVVVVVVVM**_

With each inch my blade was raised a charging sound could be heard and when my blade reached a reasonable height I stabbed it into the ground before me

The sound that followed would be the equivalent of a bass drop at maximum volume

_**DOOOOOOOOM!**_

The effect caused an immediate explosion of white light and from within my blade shot small light spears that sped out and impaled the fallen barrelling down on us with the force to cause the fallen to fly back with the velocity the 'javelin's' carried

_Click_

With the damage done the need of my blade was then confided back in the sheath and with its exposure concealed the bright light dropped letting the effects of my attack for the two to see

Their expression's were as I suspected them to be, Irina was wide eyed and probably downloading a few questions I was _not _going to answer while Xenovia looked actually similar to her partner, normally she doesn't let her expressions show but right now her eyes were un-characteristically large

The damage before them looked to be like a scene from a horror movie except minus the heavy amount of mutilation and blood and replacing that were pure white, translucent replicas of my sword being impaled in the fallen that were previously charging us and left most of them pinned into the brick buildings at our sides

A flurry of white particles waved around were my sword had stabbed the ground and adding to that my sheath seemed to be glowing but only for a moment before it died down

The two slowly looked to me

"What. Was. That?" they asked in almost perfect unison

I fought the desire to laugh while they simply looked to me with shocked, questioning expressions and none of them looked like they would let it go

Still didn't mean I would tell them though

"Classified, but consider yourselves duly in formed just by witnessing it" I said in returned, Irina pouted while Xenovia narrowed her eyes

"The defensive line –

I was interrupted by a light spear speeding past my cheek; if I hadn't tilted my head to the right I would've been decapitated

Turning my gaze from Irina and Xenovia I looked towards the rude little fallen who interrupted me with a cold glare, by the inspection, I saw the six winged fallen survived, I had no idea how but by the amount of damage done to him _and_ his wings I guessed it was by a very small margin

"You are no ordinary priest are you?" the fallen all but growled out, he scan my freezing gaze before he smirked "Huh, the boss will like this one" he said while smiling darkly

The fallen was not flying nor was he wielding a light spear... guess he thought he'd fall here

"Prepare yourselves priests, the –

The fallen didn't finish, in a manner far faster than human perception could follow I disappeared from my position then reappeared back to my position in a mere second, however when I reappeared my sword was partially un-sheathed

"An eye for an eye... as they say" *click*

_**FSSSSSSS**_

The sound of blood spraying out violently echoed out as the fallen fell over after receiving twenty deep gashes in multiple locations of critical interest all over his body, the fallen angel had no idea he was dead before he hit the ground but by that time he was already passed on

I brushed my grey cassock calmly before I re-addressed my allies "now as I was saying, the defensive line is waiting for us, we need to move" the two looked like they wouldn't have it but I was similar "Now" I said quickly before any pointless questions could be asked

Both Irina and Xenovia cracked glances at each other before they fell into a lazy formation similar to an "arrow head" facing away from our destination

The two remained silent as we jogged along toward our destination, they hadn't really noticed but there were a reasonably sized amount of exorcists scattered all around our path, all of them dead by various wounds

This diverted the current topic off to another one

"These poor people" muttered Irina as she looked away from a dead female exorcists whom was holding a male exorcist, both were pinned to the ground by a single light spear, Irina did the "father and the sun and the holy spirit" gesture before she looked onward

"They'll be avenged Irina, we'll make sure of it" replied Xenovia with a level of contempt laced with her words

"I'm guessing the fallen are in league with the demon Malthus" I piped in causing Irina to look begrudgingly agreeable to my comment

"Why though, why would they go in league with a demon?" called out Xenovia questioningly

"Guess they thought there'd be a mutual benefit between them, the demon wants war and the fallen angel's always seem driven to prove their superiority between the three fractions" I mentioned evenly

"But doesn't Azazel disagree with the need of war, wasn't it his decision that caused them to pull out before the other three fractions?" muttered Irina, the sounds of conflict had died down considerably so I heard her words

"it was, but his other leaders disagreed with his choice, however, most of them started to see his decision was a wise one, only one still disagrees with his choice" I said, Xenovia said nothing while Irina gazed to me questioningly

"Kokabiel, the only other fallen angel besides, shemhazai and Baraqiel whom were mentioned in the bible, Baraqiel is the vice governor general and he agrees with Azazel through and through along with shemhazai, Kokabiel is the only leader class who is known as a liability, Azazel hasn't made precautions because of his rather... volatile personality but the Vatican has" I started

Xenovia grumbled

"The church has been following his movements for a while now and all he's done is fuel blood feuds between Youkai clans and disrupt almost anything that would strengthen the cease fire between the three races, not to mention he's been the head honcho for all of the church incursions all for a total of five years" finishing my little story Xenovia cut in

"so I guess he's behind this then" she said as more of a fact then a question "which means all of the fallen we've ended are his followers and that also means he's enacted a small war all on his own right at this moment" she continued

I shook my head however

"Not this moment, I said five years this has been happening, this may be the largest skirmish between us but there has been similar occurrences all over the world in the five years we've been hunting him" I informed, Xenovia grumbled while muttering hateful comments towards the blood thirsty fallen angel

"Hunting him? We've already ordered a tag of retribution on him?" asked Irina as we turned down a road and continued our jog... no fallen obstruction, seems the fight is elsewhere or its dying down

"from what I've heard, his hands be called even before _we_ joined the Vatican" I said completely lying about the 'we' part, I was the one who's been order to end him if I got the chance but he's been reclusive for almost as long as the incursions on the church so I haven't gotten sight of him for five years

Sneaky bastards a small phrase to describe his 'rat' like actions

"You're kidding"

"Not really"

Irina shook her head while I kept a straight face, it was a high possible chance he was behind this but we couldn't fully assume, he _was _a leader class among shemhazai and Azazel so killing him would be horrible for keeping the peace but if he was a part of this little alliance then all the previously vague accusations we had on him would allow us the go ahead in ending him without the political lash backs

Azazel had the right idea of peace in mind but he was either too lazy to take action with his own people, or he believes 'reason' is still in Kokabiel's vocabulary... if it was the latter reason then I'd question the fallen angel governor's intelligence

In a manner of minutes the three of us finally arrived at the gun emplacements location and I could thoroughly say it looked like an extremely dug in emplacement, the gunner, thankfully, was still alive but the white bandages and red stains had me guess he's taken lickings here and there but he looked determined to hold the line

Spent gun shells littered the emplacements position while some wounded and or dead exorcists were seen scattered all around the emplacements position, the situation however wasn't idle as several fallen angels were engaging a select few exorcists who seemed far too tired to fight back

I wasted no time in my orders

"Xenovia head to the gun emplacement and give him the ammo, Irina assist the wounded and escort them to the building to my right!" I ordered and the two quickly jolted to their duties, Xenovia all but gunned it (no pun intended) towards the emplacement while Irina quickly picked up a wounded female exorcist and carried her towards the single level building to my right - the one we had been in before the conflict had started - before repeating the action with a male exorcist

I on the other hand barrelled towards the small contingent of exorcists battling five fallen, with the lethargic natural the exorcists were moving the fallen had opted to moving in slowly for the kill

A mistake on their part because it gave me the chance to take down their first two allies with quick and precise swipes of my sword before I began my work on the third fallen

Unsheathing my blade partially the fallen's light spear collided with my exposed blade before I forced him to keep his blade locked with my, a feasible trick which had forced him to put force into his own light sword but I didn't stay locked with him to allow his superior strength to show, instead I ducked and unlocked my blade from his the second I felt him put force into his locked blade

The effect cause him to fall off balance and I capitalized by shifting my position to be behind him and fully unsheathing my sword to carve a deep gash in his back, deep enough to reach arteries and also powerfully enough to slice his lower spine in two

If he didn't die from wounds then his damaged spin would leave him paralyzed from the waist down

The last two fallen stopped their attack on the tired exorcists and quickly turned to their immediate danger, leaving my sword unsheathed I used my scabbard to smack away a light spear while I used my sword to block and redirect and swing from a fallen angel, this knocked them both off balanced and wide open

Seeing as the fallen I had used my scabbard on was the closet and the least off balance I chose to give a single uncut swing to his neck before I turned and sliced the last fallen horizontally

Calmly I swiped my blade clean of blood before sheathing my sword, a feint but audible '_click_' resounded and the previously 'frozen' fallen angels fell in two separate pieces, the fallen angel whom received the uppercut had his head roll off while the other fallen's torso fell from the waist

Their bodies hit the ground a second after I finished sheathing my sword

"Holy sh – muttered a wounded but alive exorcist as the three stared at me wide eyed, arguably expected, being that lethal as well as that 'stylish' can have that effect on the ones who are watching

It embarrasses and flatters me at the same time

"You three alright?" I asked seriously, the three before me were surprisingly "younger" than me and I could thoroughly say I was extremely glad I reached them in time

They all nodded sheepishly at me which had me sigh in relief

"If any of you are wounded then head towards the command building across the street, one of my associates with help escort you to the evacuation point" I informed, the three quickly nodded and jogged towards the building I instructed, before they left I heard one of them say to the other

"_He's one of the __them__"_

Huh? I'm one of whom? Did Altan inform his people that Vatican agents are here?

My inner musing stopped when I felt a gust of wind blow my grey cassock jacket open slightly revealing the white crucifix and wings patch on my white under cassock

'_Oops' _quickly I redid the strap that had kept my upper torso from view but I left the lower haft of my cassock jacket free to do the "trench coat" effect

Gotta look cool at some point heheh

With my quick field styling complete I looked to Xenovia whom was giving first aid to the gunner, this caused me to drop my amused expression and replace it with worry

"Stay with me" mumbled Xenovia as she did a tight and efficient field dressing to the almost dying gunner

His wounds looked pretty bad, a torso gash ran horizontal all across his chest signifying he had come close to falling to a light spear swipe. A few bits of what I could guess was rock was seen etched into the side of his ribs, a small crater to the gunners right side confirmed he had survived a light spear detonation, he's lucky it was a single set fallen and not anything larger or the explosion could've ripped him apart

His gut looked like it was addressed with a field dressing prior to our arrival but it looked like it needed cleaning, seeing to his assist I quickly cut the bandage before I refit a new, fresh gauze over the bleeding wound, I caught a glance at his stomach wound and guessed he'd die if he didn't reach a real medic in ten minutes

"Xenovia, he needs a medic" I said

"I know, his stomach wound was the oldest and it seems adrenaline's been keeping him alive" she replied calmly

"The gunner will die if you don't get him to safety Xenovia, go and take him along with Irina, she's escorting the other wounded" I said while pointing to Irina whom was busy prioritizing the wounded

"What about you? Wait; don't tell me you're staying behind" she said with small, barely noticeable worry

"Yeah, what of it?" I replied with confusion

"You'll fall if you don't have backup" she growled at my obvious fake confusion

"And what kind of prodigy falls from a bunch of single set fallen?" I asked in return, Xenovia just looked to me with a unimpressed expression, one I returned but with more flamboyancy in it

I simply put my hand on her head and smiled confidently "I _have _been trained in doing operations of this level solo ya know" I said but she still stared at me calmly

*sigh*

"You do realize with the amount of time you waste in staring at me with those passionate eyes Xenovia, you waste the time you can spend in getting the wounded to safety and then return to me before the fallen regroup" I said finally, Xenovia blushed at the 'passionate' part before she growled at my words

"Fine... But don't you dare die" she said while lifting the gunner up

"~Aww, Xenovia-Chan you're so cute when you're angry~" I gushed teasingly with a hand on my cheek I add in the Japanese because I heard it affected her most, I don't know if it was weird or just plain outta character of me but the effect it had, had caused Xenovia to widen her eyes and blush the deepest shade of red I had ever seen on a blueberry

"S-s-shut up" was her feeble reply of embarrassment before she raced after Irina whom seemed highly confused of Xenovia's speed and red composition

Irina was so confused she didn't even look back to see if I was following, yeah sure it hurt a little bit but it was better than talking Xenovia down then Irina, I could just tell she would have absolutely nothing of what I'd say and she'd simply drop Anker then leave any allies behind so with her oblivious of my apparent 'sacrifice' had me better off then explaining the situation to a more teenaged female then Xenovia

Hey Irina had a more loving life the Xenovia! It's obvious she'd act more her age then the blue berry badass.

By the time the two bound the corner towards the rear of the castle I remained at the front gate, sounds of remnant battles scattered the castle but they were too small to leave any long lasting sound to break the silence and suspense I was felling

I knew who was coming, I just knew it

"Don't leave me in suspense... Malthus" I said to no one but myself but I could tell _he_ heard me

A cold chill ran down my spine when a small and feasible gust of wind rush through the destroyed gate towards me, I heard it, the footsteps of a single individual slowly and methodically came closer to the gates entrance way but I couldn't see who it was, a black cloud covered my view passed the gate so my imagination ran wild

Then came clapping, slow but loud

"**So you were waiting for me huh?"** questioned a distorted voice, by the sound of it, it seemed the person speaking was all around me

I didn't answer

"**Oh? The silent type? How rude, even after I chose to spare the blue haired girl you still give me attitude tsk, tsk, tsk, very rude indeed" **continued the voicebut my eyes narrowed dangerously

"You would've 'tried' _demon_ but it wouldn't happen, not on my watch" I replied keeping curtain my attention was spread all around me

"**There we go! You actually spoke haha! I was beginning this was gonna be one of **_**those **_**fights... ugh the drama **_**that **_**would entail" **this demon loves his own voice it seems

Again I remained quiet and simply glared in any direction the voice sounded strongest

"**Gone quiet again? Aw for fu – ya know what, enough with the spooky voice scene, CUT!" **yelled the demon, and when he yelled 'cut' every shadow in the area that stood out to much quickly vanished and turned to smoke and raced to one spot

And pretty soon a cloud of black smoke built itself up near the entrance of the gate and quickly curliest into a human figure

"**There... we... go" **mumbled the demon as its 'real' form came into my vision

He stood almost the same height as myself and had short messy black hair, he look a tad bit older then myself but none the less still looked young, he wore a black overcoat over top a black dress shirt and grey designer vest, and he also wore black dress pants and shoes with a few accessories concealed from view

"Much better, feels better being out in the open then stuck in that sister's body" he mumbled with a normal voice, my hand tightened painfully when the implication of his words hit me

"What did you do to Amelia?" I asked quietly, a dangerously cold tone following

"Huh? Where those passionate emotions come from? Oh! Now I get it! You're wondering if I left that poor little sister alive" he said energetically, a kind of energetic I was not tolerating in the least

So I showed him how serious my question was

_**VVVVVVVVV... SHING**_

A highly condensed vertical wave of unknown energy sped pasted the demons side and went through the massive gate behind him, a moment later and a section of the gate slid off like it was cut cleanly by a laser sharp knife

The demon smiled "Ah, seems that may be a delicate question" he said before he glanced back to the gate

"My, my, that would've hurt... I may even could consider that life threatening" he said with a tone of amusement "you _are_ an interesting man, Isaac Blackburn... if that is even your name" he said as he looked to me like I was an interesting specimen

"Your soul is far brighter than all the others, hell, I could even see you as one of _them_" he started before he began to walk in circles around me

With each step he continued like I wasn't a threat in the least

"That attack you just used isn't possible for a mere human to be able to do, maybe a legendary spirit but I highly doubt it, that was just a simple swipe of your blade was it not?" he asked while I kept my eyes locked on his calm orange orbs

"No answer? Fine, I'll poke around more then... _party pooper_" he mumbled the last part but I heard it

"Then comes the next part... oh I like this, seems your _way _older than your little friends over there" he said before he looked to me like I'd have any sort of reaction

"Tsk... you're seriously boring ya know that right?" he said with a bored and disappointed tone while placing his hands on his hips

"Was I _supposed_ to entertain you demon? Cause I see no need in drawing out an inevitable fight" I replied with a bitter tone "you also haven't answered my question, so why don't you just spill it so we can get on with this"

"She's dead num nuts" he said giving me a glance while he turned to look out to the landing pad "thought it'd be obvious, ya know... a demon like me alone on a plane with one girl and two chicken shit pilots, the pilots were boring but the sister was much better"

He stopped when a very cold sensation filled the area and for a moment he actually looked apprehensive

"Oh, I forgot to mention... you're the possessor of _that_" he said while he looked to me with readiness

I didn't give a damn what he said, his laid back yet psychotic personality only made my killing intent flood the field more as the images of the little boy passed by my mind and then came Amelia's terrified, sad and pain expression

"Your journey ends here _Malthus_" I announced causing the demon before me to smile dangerously

"So you know my name... didn't realize that until now" he muttered before a cloud of smoke covered his right hand, a second later and a hilt-less double edged sword was seen being held in his hand

"Alright _Isaac_, I'll play a few rounds with ya but I can't stay for too long, I kinda have this thing I need to attend with a curtain sword fragment" he hinted with a knowing smile

"I said it once and I'll say it again... Your journey ends here"

"If you wish to fulfill that then come at me! My time is short and so is your window of opportunity!" by this time his orange eyes were now fully blazing like in the video recording and his smile was turning crazed "so quit talking and attack me!"

As if his words were an order I broke into a full tilt sprint towards him, hand firmly placed on my sword poised to strike when in range

"Let's get ready to rummmmmmmblllllle!" he yelled insanely while readying his own sword

When I got within range I unleashed my attack at maximum power

In a similar fashion as the one move I used on Raynare I disappeared from view only to be seen on the other side of the demon who was quiet surprised to see he had lost track of me, but only for a second

"Sneaky priest" he muttered before he made a burst of black smoke cover his form in order to protect him from the blade storm that unleashed itself all around him

"Try harder Isaac! Simple tricks like that only work on weaklings... and it seems even they can avoid that attack" he said out loud while muttering the last part

Simple demon ability, it's easy for them to read the memories of others if their powerful enough and this guy is close in power to a maou right now... he is a prince of hell after all

Before he could recover I used my unnatural speed to appear before him and bring my blade down on him to whom he blocked easily, the effect of our blades colliding caused a powerful _boom_ to resound and a rain of sparks sprang out

Quickly I disengaged and sped around the demon with speed that created after images of myself all around, the demon simply smiled

"So it seems your actually gonna show me your potential and not keep those real tricks of yours hidden" he said with a tone akin to happiness

"If you keep talking, you may lose that tongue of yours" I said calmly

He laughed

"You got attitude, a like that"

To show his level of happiness he swung horizontally which caught me completely off guard due to it actually coming straight at me

_**BOOM**_

The loud thoom of our blades resounded again as I had no choice but to block his swing, we didn't stop their however, before we kept our blades locked we unleashed a volley of swings in any direction causing multiple booms to explode out from our swords collision

When our strikes stopped Malthus was left open while my sword was poised to strike his open ribs

I took it

"Gah!" grunted Malthus as a deep gash was then quickly seen on his ribs

While he was distracted, I continued to land a few extra cuts and gashes to his side before a black cloud of smoke shot out to his side and soon enough a plate of dirty silver armor covered his ribs on both sides

'_What the?' _I questioned before I ducked a vicious swing from Malthus before I felt a follow up kick impact my solar plexus, the added force of his supernatural strength caused me to rocket back a few feet all the while leaving a trench in the ground

"You little – that hurt!" he yelled out with anger, but it seemed child - like more than genuine anger

Standing from my place in the ground I brushed off my cassock before I looked to him impassively and analyzed the physical changes

For the most part I must've dealt considerable damage as he completely covered his lower body with armor plating that covered his stomach, ribs, and lower back, everything else was still exposing the fashion clothing

Before he could start talking again I disappeared from my spot and reappeared behind him but I froze when he was already swinging towards me, thinking quickly I repurposed my swing to block his horizontal one causing a boom in responses

However Malthus responded by extending his other hand and summoned a second similar sword in a split second and sent that sword at me in the other direction

Seeing as I couldn't block I put all my strength into my legs and jumped over Malthus before I could be bisected

_**WOOOOSSSHHHH!**_

The effect of his swung sword caused all loose rock in the direction of his swing to fly back at the force produced

'_Jesus'_ I muttered, Malthus quickly and unnatural, jerked his head in my direction with a look of stoic anger covering his expression

For the first time in this fight Malthus moved from his spot across from me, however, 'moved' couldn't truly describe it, more like 'sprinted madly' towards me with a look akin to bloody murder was a better description

His speed was great and my hesitation at his sudden expression change left me frozen, so all I could do was block his incoming double swing

Placing my scabbard and sword side by side I positioned them in front of the two swords and accepted the incoming strike with bated breath

_**BOOM!**_

Because of my unbalanced natural of being caught unprofessionally off guard I wasn't properly foot to accept the supernaturally strengthened baseball swing and it showed considerably as I was sent careening towards a building down the street

_**CRASH!**_

Rather than slam painfully against the brick wall and grind to a back breaking halt, the brick wall behind me caved in almost like a cushion though it still forced the air out of my lungs

*cough* *cough*

My back throbbed at the physical trauma and my lungs heaved at the lack of air, my strength remained as it was but my equilibrium was off considerably

"Oh come on! Don't tell me your still holding back!" yelled a voice, no doubt it was Malthus

I ignored him and focused on regrouping my senses, I had no idea where I landed all I know is I hit something hard and I was discombobulated

I heard the sounds of footsteps crunching broken glass a few feet away from me which caused me to look to see Malthus standing at the entrance of a completely destroyed entrance way

"Sheesh... ya look like hammered shit" he said with that smile of his

By this time the opening Malthus had left and my senses were back, my head wasn't rolling from an obvious concussion and my back was throbbing less then it was before

Seeing as the my sword was still in hand I rested it in the crook of me left elbow which was held defensively across my chest, scabbard held in a reverse grip

By this time I also distinguished my surroundings, tight corridor, pews surrounded me, they were strewn out but they tightened the already tight spacing dramatically

I was best suited to use quick thrusts and _vary_ disciplined swings that didn't over compensate damage output and leave me open, I was in the worst position a swordsmen could find himself in... A corner

Before Malthus started talking... again, I rushed forward and swung twice in two different directions and then unloaded quick thrusts at lightning speed. Malthus responded by deflecting the swings with a stoic expression before he quickly shifted his head to avoid being run through

His response after the thrusts was to send my sword up so to see if my guard was open but I quickly dropped my sword down on his responding thrust to my gut, after my sword redirected his, Malthus used the momentum built from the redirection in order to come back around the opposite way and drop a vertical sing down towards my open neck

Responding quickly I raised my sword and locked my sword with his, before I could do anything I quickly remembered his second sword, Malthus saw this and quickly thrusted his second sword to my open gut

However, his thrust was redirect by me pushing my reverse griped scabbard into his swords thrust causing it to sink into the massive stone crucifix behind me instead, seeing as this caused a very small opening I twisted from the locked blade and switched my sword grip into a reverse grip and without hesitation I thrusted the sword behind me

Hearing a grunt and a wet _Thunk_ I quickly retracted my sword and flipped over the shocked and now kneeling Malthus before sheathing my sword

The sight before me was a ironic one; Malthus sat kneeling with blood leaking out of his stab wound while a massive stone crucifix sat before him

"It's over Malthus" I said while keeping distance from him

"Ha...haha...hahaha" he laughed while lifting his head so to look at the crucifix "that was so damn cliché hehehehe, I didn't have to try and I'd known you'd say that" he commented while giggling

"Your fallen forces are all but scattered and defeated, your goal to reigniting the Great War is all but over, so why the laughter?"I said and Malthus stopped laughing and glanced back to me

"for a moment I thought you'd be more open minded" he started sounding disappointed "not once have we met prior to this yet you immediately knew my name the minute we actually faced and I know for sure you know what that name entitles right?" he asked calmly but it sounded... gitty, like he was excited for something

"Where are you going with this?" I asked while keeping my hand on my sword handle, something isn't right. Malthus simply titled his head. Confused

"Don't you remember?" he asked before starting up again

"All men can see these tactic's whereby I conquer, but what none can see is a strategy out which victory is evolved. Be extremely subtle, even to the point of soundlessness thereby you can be the director of your enemies fate... all warfare... is based off deception" he quoted while his smile grew larger, and I knew what he meant but when I chose to take action everything went black

The last thing I saw before I passed out from the pain was Malthus's kneeling form dispersing in a black mist before a second pair of dress shoes stood over my falling form

"_Sleep tight... Isaciel" _

**A/N:**

**Well shit, ok so for this chapter we learn a few things, Isaac is a _ and his real name has been present as well (I – Za – Kiel) if you don't know exactly how to pronounce it then copy and paste it into Google translate and have the computer say it out loud... English **** that's just a reminder cause it doesn't have no fancy language being its base and we get to see more of Malthus**

**Did you like the encounter? I did, it was fun to write! Demons are by nature extremely arrogant but they have grounds to be that way and this allows me to right a dialogue set completely off the serious track, I always like a villain who is extremely nutty but absolutely funny at the same time, Vaas was a good villain cause he was 'funny' at some points while the joker can be as well **

**Batman Arkham knight had helped me fully appreciate the Jokers charisma **

**Ok so forgetting the new villain I have I want everyone to take one big guess on what Isaac is, I've been hinting it a few times all throughout my story so far and I chose now to reveal it partially cause I've been asked a few times who exactly he is or what he is... understandable yes, I've once been brought to near insanity by one story that seemed to find it exceptionally hard to reveal any sort of character related secret and so I learned to not hold character secrets to long ;)**

**Seriously, if you haven't figure it out yet then Imma question my hinting skills -_-**

**To add to the string of twists, yes I'm sure you've notice that Isaciel does have a sacred gear, though what it is exactly will be left for a later chapter (next one or the one after maybe)**

**And to add a visual aid to the ability Isaciel used against the ten fallen angels was reminiscent to the game Warframe, the frame Excalibur uses a final ability called "radial javelin" and it does as the story had preserved it as ;) impale the crows!**

**Now I'd like to address the harem members being added into the list**

**Currently I have: Rosswiesse, Gabriel, Irina, Serafall, **_**Xenovia**_** and maybe Yasaka**

**Sona I'm gonna turn her down as she's an overused harem member in my opinion, their isn't many fanfic's out there that ignore the girls in Rias' peerage and there's always at least one of them in a harem *ignores Xenovia being in the harem completely* and so I'm gonna slowly set that done calmly and gently before I anger the Sona fans out there**

**Wait a minute, this reminds me of something**

**Yeah now I remember! Side pairings**

**Currently I don't even register Sona as a real character as she just... shows up, whenever the writer feels it necessary, third season just had her show up to face a **_**GOD **_**and that was just... just no, not to mention... she's a bloody stick in the none existent mud, Isaciel may not show it but he's **_**way **_**more laid back then Sona so they'd probably not have any chemistry, maybe as friends but other than that it'd wouldn't be anything romantic**

**She hasn't actually gotten any screen time as well. I didn't even know they were in the underworld let alone relevant to third season, I thought third season was all about pair of tits #1's jealousy problem**

**Anyways, I'm gonna be a nice writer and I'll let saji's dream in getting her pregnant come true**

***Crazy perverted scream in the distance***

**Ooook then, adding into that is a subject I had never really focused on since I started this story and that is Gabriel**

**First before people ask when her debut Is I'll say she has already made an appearance, a very small one but I like small hints in stories and she will be making her debut soon (maybe one or two chapters away)**

**And then comes a personality change to her as well, it'd be considerably annoying to write a harem with a chick who has no idea she's in one so imma change her personality a tad bit, she won't be the cliché dumb blonde character Japan likes rolling like a sweat roll and instead she'll have a brain, instead of 'two' if ya know what I mean**

**I read her character bio and I was confused when I read 'wise' and 'ignorant'... wat? How the heck can you be wise yet ignorant at the same time!? Last time I check 'ignorant' means a lack of experience and knowledge while 'wise' means the complete opposite**

**Come on wiki writers, stop dropping the ball! Your my only source of knowledge**

**I'm also modifying her 'dense' nature as well to a more adorable level then unrealistically retarded, she'll now what pervert means and she'll know what sex means as well, I mean she's lived how long and she hasn't learned that stuff yet**

**My brother starting knowing more stuff about sex then even my dad at the age of 12, ya I know, school isn't all sun shine and lolly pops parents so for a multi century old being like her she should know some stuff so it won't be totally awkward **

**And then comes... lemons!**

**Hell ya I'm making lemons! And one of them is with **_**two**_** angels (a system change is in order for this but I'll get to that later) **

**Ok**

**Read and review ya beautiful reviewers ;)**

**In the mean time imma edit the shiiiit outta this chapter... peace ;) **


	8. The Hunt Begins: part 4

'_The only easy day, was yesterday' ~ U.S navy seals_

**-XxXxXxX-**

**With Issei and co. on route towards a private Gremory resort/ location: unknown region/ time: 8:45am**

Issei grunted,

The weight of the backpack had drained him a good portion of his stamina and the increasing fatigue was making the weight even more damning

It had been a day since the infamous meeting between Riser and the Gremory peerage and since today was the day their training officially commenced the President of the ORC made it club official that their training regime would not take place near the city...

But _fifty_ miles away from it entirely...

On foot...

Call him a pus_y but walking fifty miles with a backpack the size of two dolph Lundgren's made issei almost sob at the two mile point, his leg muscles groaned in protest but instead of giving up he continued like the others who almost seemed to be on his boat as well

Akeno, Kiba, Koneko and even Asia – although she didn't have a backpack – were walking as well and at the front of the pack was Rias who hadn't so much as cracked a smile since the family meeting

'_The prez must really be into this' _thought Issei as he continued his long track along with the other less tiring ORC members

By the time they hit the haft way mark at twenty five miles a break was called but then the walk was quickly picked back up, Issei shuddered at the tone Rias had used when she ordered them to get back on track

He hadn't really expected her to be this strict but he simply kept quiet about it, a women's fury wasn't something he'd willingly walk into so he simply followed his orders... with a pained filled groan

'_Scratch that one comment about Rias's training skills Ddraig, she really is a devil' _muttered Issei as an amused grumble was soon heard in his head

**[I didn't think she had it in her... but yes, her regime seems far more harsh then I expected, I may even say I'd leave the training in her hands, key word 'may'] **replied Ddraig as Issei simply shivered fearfully

**[Hehehe, you act like my training would be easier] **chuckled Ddraig and Issei quickly classified Ddraig as a devil as well

Issei left the conversation and simply glanced to Rias whom had a stern and determined expression plastered on her face, turning his attention elsewhere he looked to Akeno instead

"She seems rather into this" he started while catching the tired Akeno's attention, the aforementioned queen of the Gremory peerage simply looked to him before chuckling

"You'd be surprised" she replied while stepping over a large tree root "she may come off as a lenient king but deep under that friendly smile lays a pure blood devil"

Issei simply kept his look on Akeno who noticed the confused expression

"Does she really get this determined for a rating game?" he asked, Rias, due to her sheer level of determination, was almost a hundred yards in front of them so her hearing the conversation was a long shot at best

She simply shrugged her shoulders "devils are naturally prideful to an extent, the most prideful of them all was Lucifer and he's revered as a Demon god among six others who can even be considered much older than even him" she started, issei whistle at the familiar name from the bible

"I remember a time when her brother, Sirzechs, had taken some time in talking with her about the rating games.. All I remember about that was Rias' sheer interest in the sport" finished Akeno

"So I take it this means a whole lot more then I realize.. Sure I understand her absolute desire in beating captain douche but I never expected this to be her determined side" replied issei making Akeno douse his expectations

"Not exactly.. Remember what I said about Lucifer being the prideful one?" she asked and Issei nodded "well it's true.. When I said 'demon god' I really meant what I said. Lucifer at one time was a god in every right of the word"

This brought a look of revelation to Issei's expression, he hadn't known much of Christian religion much, his childhood friend had been more into that then he was, it kinda just went in through one ear and out the other but when his childhood friend talked – at length, about the stories he remembered him saying something's about Lucifer but he never did deduce him as a god

'_Wait a minute' _issei almost slapped his face at his absent minded dismissal of a common sense answer

"Lucifer was once an angel but fell due to his hatred for humanity and his undivided love for his father god, but god didn't like it and went all dead beat dad on him and booted his ass out along with his pals... am I right?" Asked Issei but he only got silence in return

Glancing back to Akeno he was surprised to see her shocked

"What?"

"How do you know that?" she asked, Akeno hadn't really expected to receive such an answer from a person who's biggest reputation was the obsession for a body part, but his answer was practically spot on with only a few spots in need of correction

"An old friend of mine was a nut when it came to religion, specifically the Christian side" he replied casually while waving his hand dismissively "I just remembered a few things involving his stories and dribulance"

Akeno smirked teasingly

"~oh my, you're so cute when you show your smart side~" she teased while holding a finger to her lower lip seductively, Issei nearly fell over drooling at her seductive pose

'_Mother of GAHH!' _he clutched his head in pain when he absentmindedly muttered a name he shouldn't have, he was assaulted with visions of various situations and scenes with the pose including multiple seductive phrases muttered by the raven haired beauty

'_Damn dat's hawt' _

Shaking his mind, issei quickly dropped his more primal thoughts and continued with the conversation

"Hehehe" Giggled Akeno softly as she clutched her mouth so to stifle her humor "I was just teasing, no need to get all hot and bothered by it" she said while tapping his shoulder humorously

"Anyways, yes; your right about most of Lucifer's legend but what followed after his fall is what built hell as it is today" started the raven haired queen "when Lucifer was expelled along with his brothers and sisters, Lucifer went and started the demon race alongside Satan, the demon god or wrath, Lucifer was guided by the demon who took advantage of Lucifer's anger towards his father as well as the human's for supposedly "taking away" his father's affection" explained Akeno

"So he became a demon god alongside Satan?" asked Issei

"not exactly, from what I learned; Lucifer was the one who was told to lead the demon race, Satan only asked he'd be revered even more than just a god hence why the Satan's today are called 'Satan's'" revealed Akeno

"Ok so what does this have to do with the rating game?"

"All beings are created in their god's image, whether it's physical or psychological. We devils inherited the mindset of the demon gods. Lucifer is pride, Asmodeus is lust, leviathan is envy, Belphegor is sloth, Mammon is greed, Beelzebub is gluttony, and lastly Satan, who is wrath" explained Akeno while Issei nodded

'_The seven deadly sins make up the mindset of all devils'_ muttered Issei internally as if running it by him again

"So Rias' has experienced these before?" he asked making Akeno nod

"Yup, though not all of them, I have yet to see her show any lust but every other sin I have seen her indulge in. Pride, greed and wrath being the most common" she replied while Turing the direction Rias had gone, Asia, Koneko, and Kiba following shortly behind

"I see" muttered Issei as he fell silent

'_So most devils inherit the mindset of their forefathers?' _asked Issei internally

**[Yup] **replied Ddraig, Issei hadn't intended on brining up conversation with the dragon but he let it roll

'_You know about them?'_

**[yeah, I am a few thousand years old - maybe a millennia partner, I was around during the great war and I did see and experience the seven sins that was the demon gods] **piped Ddraig seemingly reciting a fond memory.. Sounded like he liked it

'_What's your opinion on them?' _he asked calmly while falling back into a walking rhythm

Ddraig sighed before answering **[let's see... I didn't chat with them on a personal level mind you, I was a power monger back then and I barely acknowledged them as threats or equals... **_**only one did pose a true threat and he wasn't a demon**_**... but anyways, the demon gods were an odd bunch, just imagine a bunch of brats following – in perfect representation, to a single personality trait. Lucifer, for every time I ignored him, he'd nearly spas out in a blood rage and attack with reckless abandon with Satan following after him, but he was just... angry at anything] **recited Ddraig while giving a feint chuckle

**[then came the leviathan brat, damn kid wouldn't shut up about wanting what I had, and Asmodeus almost never stopped looking at me with those lustful eyes of hers.. or was she a **_**he**_**?] **Ddraig stopped as if thinking about something **[oh yeah, Asmodeus was A-gender, but it was not always a sexual expression, sometimes it was for any other thing be it bloodlust, power, acknowledgement etc.]**

'_So they were interesting?' _piped issei while thinking about what those demon gods looked like in the eyes of a dragon, Ddraig mention 'brat' a few times so they must've been young.. Or that was just Ddraig's age showing

**[pretty much, I wasn't interested at the time but now I can see they actually **_**were **_**interesting, at the time all I wanted to do was kill my rival] **replied Ddraig

'_You're rival?'_

Again, Ddraig sighed **[the white one, Albion, also known as the heavenly dragon of vanishing, where I give power, he takes it.. for as long as I can remember the two of us have been at each other's throats, both when we were living as well as being sealed in these gears, the cause of our discontent for each other is probably our exact opposite nature.. just to let you know, he's been sealed in a gear as well and now he is **_**your**_** rival]**

'_So at some point I have to face someone who has inherited a gear as well' _muttered Issei, if Issei could see inside his own mind he would have seen Ddraig nod his head solemnly

**[Sadly yes, but this is another topic I'll address later on during the week but right now I'd suggest keeping your focus on the glaring red head in front of you]**

'_Eh?'_he asked but he was soon answer by a cut connection and a rough tap to his forehead

The sight he found before him was a massive mansion building surrounded by a large field and a forest just a few hundred yards to his right, to his left was a plaza and a fountain in what seemed like a park or garden, but the scenery didn't cause his sudden gulp of fear

Instead it was the narrow eyed red head who's expression was of high annoyance, but considering her pose of leaning towards him with her hands on her hips and a blank glare/pout etched on her face stifled some of the nervousness that had crept up into his features and added in a cute Tsundere-esque disposition to his otherwise "oh shit!" situation

"You home Issei?" asked Rias with a feint but visible twitch to her brow

Blinking a few times as well as give his head a shake, Issei cleared his mind and addressed the rather salty devil before him "S-sorry, just talking with Ddraig... it's sometimes hard to be aware of my surroundings when I'm talking with him, Hehehe" he chuckled nervously at the unmoved expression on her face, the others behind her chuckled quietly while Asia looked nervous for him.. Koneko just looked as unmoved as ever

"Well if you are quiet done I'd like to start this training I have scheduled" she said while crossing her arms "so get inside and unpacked, be back down her in ten" she finished with the usual instructing tone

"Hai!" announced everyone as they hustled off to pick a room, Asia and issei didn't know the drill so Koneko pulled Asia along while Kiba signaled Issei to follow him

**-XxXxXxX-**

Issei found himself in a nice room; the interior was that of a high class hotel room with various modifications, the bed was massive... to massive, while everything else looked more expensive than his room or house combined

"talk about out doing it" he muttered while dropping off his lead backpack, with a loud thud Issei was free from the restricting felling large hiking backpacks hand and soon stretched his back causing a handful of cracks and groans from his sore back muscles and spine

"Something tells me this is the least amount of discomfort I'm gonna feel this entire week" again Issei muttered more to himself then spoken to someone

But his words did reach a pair of ears

"I whole heartedly agree to that" called out Kiba from his room entrance, speedy Gonzales was already damn well dressed into a grey and white sports exorcise outfit, grey sweats and a grey and white jacket was all Kiba was wearing but any more descriptions would make the scene weirder

He was ready... That's all that needed to be described

"Well speed racer, I'm gonna hold you for the fastest dresser in the world" replied Issei feeling a little odd he hadn't jumped commercially at the obvious comedic scene that should have played out but he digressed

"Aspect of the knight does come in handy sometime" with a shrug of his shoulders Kiba smirked at him

"Cheeky bastard" with his silent mutter in the air Issei grabbed his training outfit and soon turned to Kiba who was still standing at the door "well goldy locks, mind a guy some privacy?" he asked while raising a brow, Kiba chuckled before closing the door behind him

Soon after and Issei finished his changing and quickly exited his room and found Kiba standing near the guard railing to the large stairs to the ground floor

"Now that you're ready, let's go meet up with buchou and the others" he said while gesturing for him to follow, issei simply nodded and followed after the blonde boy

Pretty quickly the girls had shown up as well, Rias was already down before the boys but the other girls had a less high level of determination compared to their superior so they took all the "girly" time needed in changing into whatever required ten extra minutes and soon enough they finally came crashing down the stairs

Akeno, as well as the two other girls were wearing training attire... bloomers

Issei didn't say it out loud but he felt this training was going to have more distractions then physical and mental progress in less the mature route and more the perverted route and issei could agree he had enough of latter

"Now that everyone is ready, lets head out to the field" ordered Rias as she and her peerage left the resort

**-XxXxXxX-**

Rias pondered over her thoughts and an article she found most interesting

She had, like before, acknowledged her inability to train as well as some devils could; sadly, she had focused more on her noble duties then actual strength progression during her earlier years of starting a peerage and with great luxury, was mostly trained on noble demeanors and politics

She scrunched her nose at that thought

She was a heir to the Gremory family of the 72 pillars; "weak" was one thing she hated about herself besides her constant discontent towards being seen as a Gremory and not "Rias" and just that

Believe her when she says, "I want to be a strong leader" every word she spoke was of true nature but no matter how hard she tried her brother almost always refused in helping her grow her power of destruction and her ability to lead, no tips or point of advice.. It was all on her to learn by herself

It annoyed her to no end, how her brother could be so caring yet so dismissive on a panicle concept in becoming a leader, loyalty always followed the one with the bigger stick and she didn't have the bigger stick

Strong to some, weak in the long run

'_hopefully a victory in this game brings even more change then just freedom' _she thought idly while watching her peerage exorcise their already strained muscles, the only one lagging behind was Issei as he was the least conditioned out of the others, obviously, to normal human standards he would be above average but right now he was below that in a devil's eyes

Not to mention it was far too low in even remotely helping in taking down a Phenex

That brought a new set of thoughts that were much less selfish and more selfless... ish?

Her biggest project in front of her was Issei and his training, a load was already lifted from her when she learned Ddraig was going to train him but she still had something's in need of modification

Namely, his mental state

He hadn't showed it very much lately but Issei still was a pervert, she guessed the sudden change in his life as well as the level of danger he'd experienced during the fallen angel incident had awakened a few new mental instincts in his mind but his more... disruptive aspects still stuck, like that annoying stick glue in school

She had to nip that in the bud quickly, last thing she wanted was to allow his training to lead down a path were he'd learn some disgusting attack that would prove almost useless in the long run

Personnel quirks and desires needed to be cast aside, Issei needed to become a weapon... _her _weapon

It sounded cold but she herself had digressed to the notion, if she even remotely wished to even dream of beating Riser she needed a weapon capable of great strength and power

Who better to fill that role then the current boosted gear wielder...

She was happy Issei showed a level of desire to grow in strength but that still didn't prove he'd actually want to continue when the going got hellish

During her years of human study and sometimes military study, Rias had learned that a curtain few military groups used a simple yet hellish method of training,

They call it "hell week"

"Hell Week" tests physical endurance, mental toughness, pain and cold tolerance, teamwork, attitude, and your ability to perform work under high physical and mental stress, and sleep deprivation. Above all, it tests determination and desire

Thinking this, Rias had planned to not only test Issei this but her whole peerage, even herself

"Hard" was going to be the smallest understatement describing the week's schedule

She felt hesitant at first but then she remembered that devils by nature are far more physically capable then humans. That didn't mean the humans didn't posed a threat, a simple glance to your local church and its exorcists can prove they can still triumph even with weak frail bodies

Rias shook her head, the last thing she wanted to do was think of Isaac, the platinum haired exorcist

The schedule for her modified "hell week" was set to start as soon as she could muster the courage in brining that into the light, Kiba knew how humans training worked but only mildly and she could only guess if Issei knew what "hell week" was

And if he did would he give up?

Again, the Gremory heir shook her head

Issei had let a dragon command his training and possibly even train him personally, if he had even haft a brain then that fact alone was terrifying

Dragons were known for being extremely strict with training and their expectations were even stricter, this "hell week" was only supposed to change Issei mentally, _sow the seeds of doubt_ as the moto goes

Rias skimmed over the article on what "hell week" was and its long time effects on the ones who make it through and become "the world's elite"

'_The instructor's are not looking for physical superiority but a soled and determined mind to succeed, the only reason a trainee quits is not solely on the training but on the trainee's mind and doubt, the instructors job is to give tempting invitations to trainee's to quiet' _she read internally, Rias liked it

Not only does this answer her desire in changing Issei mentally but apparently if he finishes the week without giving in to his mental limits he'll feel a sense of being unstoppable. _That _mixed with his boosted gear will make him a freight train of danger and power both in body and mind

'_I believe I've got a plan for you Issei' _muttered the red head while smirking darkly, if Issei didn't know any better, then the feeling for sudden dread that ran up his spin was not Koneko's glare but a forewarning to the upcoming hell he was about to embark on

**-XxXxXxX-**

With Rias off studying an article Akeno had taken to keeping the training and warm up to her own expectations, warm up such as a small rep of push ups, stretches, and a light jog was good enough to reawaken the tiring muscles

Then group stretching followed after but it stopped when Rias finished her planning

"Alright everyone, time for orientation!" called out Rias while getting up from her seat on the picnic table, she left the article behind and quickly walked up to them

Pretty soon Rias had everyone's undivided attention... so she let them have it

"I have come up with a routine schedule that everyone will be chosen to complete" Rias stopped after acknowledging Asia who was way too timid and innocent to embark on hell week so she was the medic "Asia, this training will be far to physical for you to follow so I place the medical responsibilities in your hands, can you handle it?"

"Yes! Leave it to me" she replied excitedly

"Alright then, just a quick question I want to ask you Issei" she called out causing Issei to look to her, awaiting the question "do you know of a training regime called "hell week"?" she asked and Issei soon after widened his eyes

"Y-yes" was his timid and knowing reply, Rias simply smiled and tilted her head

"What is it exactly?" she asked while smirking cutely

"The most grueling training on the planet"

"As good as a description as any it seems" replied Rias while shrugging her shoulders "You wanted training, so here it is... for all of us" when she finished her revelation the peerage eyes sparked with shock

"Everyone?" questioned Kiba who seemed... nervous

"Yup... even me" she said while smiling

Issei was questioning if she was an airhead or not, the legendary training didn't make the navy seals famous just cause their American, but the fact it created warrior's feared by many countries all around the world and they remain at the top with a few of its countries allies but they were considered a "baby face" for birthing the elite

Rias treated it like another Tuesday

**[The odds of me leaving her in charge of training have skyrocketed... maybe] **muttered Ddraig with a chuckle at the others faces

Before anything could be rebuked Rias started up again "the majority of training will be consisting of hell week's courses but after, we will focus on separate skills and focus on increasing strengths in that region, oh and only a couple hours of sleep are the minimal time during sleeping hours" after she dropped that bomb even Akeno looked nervous for the weeks training, issei however felt dizzy

He could already feel the sleep deprivation setting in

**[I have something I want to tell you before you bitch out on your training, maybe it'll motivate you to not back out on the first day] **again Ddraig piped in but this time it wasn't witty but serious

'_And what is that?'_

**[a little set back to inheriting a dragons soul is that.. well.. if you don't make up for the constant power growth in your body, my... power will consume you] **revealed Ddraig and Issei froze

'_I'M DYING!' _roared Issei internally and even Ddraig shook from its load and abrupt nature

**[Yes... do you remember the flames when you first met me?] **

'_I remember, what about them?' _Issei growled, being told he had something equivalent to cancer this late in the game had caused him to drop all nervousness around the dragon

**[Well, I kinda saved you back then] **finished Ddraig rather vaguely, this didn't cause Issei to drop his piqued curiosity of his health

'_Continue' _warned Issei and he could feel Ddraig shuddered slightly... almost commercially

**[So to explain it more thoroughly, the flames sort of represent my powers dominance over your soul, notice the endless fields were almost completely caked in flames? Well that's because your weak mind and physically lacking body was far too easy for my power to **_**not **_**try and eat, the only reason I was able to stop it was because your desire from before had caused a window of sorts to open up to me] **explained the dragon

Issei remained quiet during the explanation but after he addressed his situation with a different question "how do I counter its effects? I'm sure your last minute saving didn't stop its flow completely"

**[Simple... grow stronger, this training your master has come up with will help you grow mentally which will ultimately help you in **_**my**_** training, the effects should fade away the more you grow in power, and soon it won't be a problem at all] **Ddraig answered which quickly alleviated Issei's sudden rise in fear

'_Seems a lazy life keeps growing farther and farther away' _he muttered more to himself then anything

**[Quiet lives never really finds those in a life like this... from here on out, everything is gonna be loud] **Ddraig's voice sounded serious yet calming, Issei just nodded

Change hurts, and sudden changes hurt even more. Issei needed to find a way to adapt and getting the strength to protect not only himself but his king was a good choice to cope with, but his nervousness still bared down on his shoulders

"Alright then!" called Rias whose expression was back to being serious "the quicker we start the better" when she finished those words her demeanour suddenly dropped to what Issei would call "drill instructor Crimson"

No more light in her eyes, no more excess joy, all business remained. Issei breathed in sharply when he realized, weather he like it or not, his ass was on her platter and by the others expressions, some more calm then others, namely Kiba and Koneko, were also on her platter

Issei had heard of this method of training back when he was in a history class in elementary, how he remembered it was a question he asked himself, but maybe he remembered it due to how scary it sounded, he heard the story from a foreign exchange student that moved to Japan with a retired navy seal and since war apparently interested kids, manly boys, the kid had a vast amount of info about what his father had went through during his rising years into becoming an elite solider

And now he was going to go through a heavily modified version of it

No matter how much determination he had was put into question at the situation he was now in

'_Shit' _was all he muttered before Rias started the PT training through the woods behind her

They were going to go straight through hell in a matter of a single week, and he wondered if Riser would have anything to beat up after his ass is fried by Rias before he could get his hands on him

He drowned out his doubts quickly when he remembered the look on Riser's face back when he had that small power overload, and soon after his hesitation into hell week subsided and only a single will remained

To rise to the challenge...

**-XxXxXxX-**

**With Isaac and co. / Eastern Orthodox Church somewhere outside of turkey **

I didn't know how long I was out but it must've been long, maybe an hour or two?

The first thing I remember from wakening from my unconscious state was the sound of crying and a few words of comfort coming from a female voice, the next thing I remember was being held tightly by a pair of soft arms

It was both Irina and Xenovia, no doubt

I expected myself to be in some kind of medical ward but instead my ass was accompanied by the soft carpet of the chapel I had been knocked out in

My head throbbed and so did my nose. I must've fallen flat on my face from getting that sword pummel to the back of the head, a feint feeling of blood dripping down from my left nostril confirmed that

I couldn't really see anything but with a little of effort and a few hundred blinks the fuzziness in my eyes vanished to reveal both Irina and Xenovia, just as I guessed

"Isaac!" yelled Irina as my head was quickly pushed into her chest

A muffled grunt escaped my lips as the sudden contact with her chest caused myself to grow red a little, but stopped when I heard her crying, glancing up from my spot in her cleavage I saw Irina shed tears of what I guessed to be relief

"You're ok.." she drawled more to herself than anyone else, soon her grip on me tightened more and my close proximity to her 'assets' was all but fused at this point

'_Camp fire' _I muttered internally,I may sound brain dead but I couldn't help but catch her scent

Hey! When you're up in a girls business you can't help but smell her, you do breathe from her nose from time to time don't you?

Ignoring my sudden instinct to explain myself I gently tapped her shoulder which caught her attention

"Huh?" she asked, and I just adopted a blank expression at her dense disposition

"I.. ca..n't... breath" my voice was muffle by you know what so my words didn't reach her clearly but she heard it, I made sure to emphasis my position by simply glancing down to the mound of flesh directly below my eyes... which was covered by her church battle outfit mind you!

The effect was seen instantly, red adored her facial expression and her wide, surprised eyes, quickly replaced her confused and tearful ones

I would come to regret my choice of easing her into what she was doing, church affiliated females tend to be extremely protective of their 'parts' and virginity reigned supreme among them... Irina was no different

"Eeeep!" she squeaked loudly and by sudden instinct she pushed me away from her... which didn't help my head ache

"Wow... that's gonna leave a bruise" I muttered while sitting up, Irina was in the cliché 'defend the innocents' pose which consisted of sitting on her knees and her arms covering her already covered bosom, if I was another kind of man the sight would make me drool but I dismissed the notion in favor of grabbing my aching head

Don't hit another kid with a sword pummel kids, damn thing left a mighty dent on my noggin, but it healed quickly

The heeling factor I had reminded me of another thing I found out

Malthus knew what I was

'_Looks like the secret is out for him... should've expected a demon would figure it out easily enough'_ I thought while it was true, I was an angel but explaining why I was in the church would be too long to explain

Long story short, things were stirring up down here on earth and I was the best choice to fulfill the job for reasons I'm not going in depth with

My reasons were confidentional on a 'maximum silence' degree and the fact that demon, Malthus, knew what I was made things in keeping the secret on the DL was now much harder than before

Only a handful knew what I was and Griselda was one of them, but explaining my aging _problem_ was hard to pass as a 'gift from god'. Sure it was in a sense but to humans with fanatical mind sets it was far too hard to explain to them that a _literal_ follower of god was among them.. Watching their every move

The attention that would make, and the fact the devils were also on to me made keeping quiet _hard_, reputation was the biggest pain in my ass and when it came to the supernatural, reputation attracts extreme levels of unwanted attention

I just hoped Irina and Xenovia hadn't learned of it...

Releasing my musing I dropped my expression when I locked eyes with Xenovia's, many things flowed in her eyes, betrayal, high amounts of relief, anger, etc.

I couldn't help but sympathize with her right at that moment

Every since we learned of or adversary being a demon I had sensed high amounts of nervousness and anxiety from the two of them and damn were they good at hiding it, Xenovia's stoic expression always hid her true emotions and Irina's deep faith in god was her soles in dangerous times

But with my gifts being an angel and all, sensing what was in their hearts was much easier then second hand guessing their emotions, people did call me charismatic and it was true, I sometimes used that ability we angels used so to help me consol the unreasonable.

From the outside Xenovia looked fine, maybe a little angry but if you had my _eyes _then seeing what she felt was as easy as looking through a magnify glass

And the fact I _promised_ and failed to up hold that promise she had felt betrayed, just as much as the day she was found on a churches door step all those years ago... left there by her parents who promised her she'd never be alone

I never used this ability on her before but since she look so _angry_ I had not realized I had glanced at her heart with my eyes

Damn it Isaac!

I dropped my expression and unlocked my gaze with Xenovia's eyes, I had not truly expected Malthus to be as cunning as he was and my stubborn nature in keeping my real abilities hidden during our first fight almost cost me my life and Xenovia's acceptance

But I still didn't feel regret in my choice of being the only one to face Malthus, he could've killed the both of them with ease and my choice to being the only one to face him was the best choice I could make, for the both of them

Rubbing my head and face, I scooped up my Zetsurin sword and scabbard and brushed of the dust from the blade before sheathing it "what's the status on the church?" I asked, more important matters still mattered more than relationship mending

Irina piped up first but with less enthusiasm and more of a dropped and downcast expression "the other exorcists have lost a dozen men and women, out of the 50 here only 30 to maybe 27 remain" she explained and I scrunched my nose at the numbers

To many

My fist clenched tightly, the fallen must've had a second wave attack just to guard Malthus's escape, the massive hole on the wall to my rear suggested he got what he was after

"The Excalibur is gone... Malthus got what he wanted" finished Irina who was looking at the hole to her right, Xenovia grunted before leaving the chapel

"What else happened while I was... out?" I pressed

"Nothing, just the gathering of the wounded and a few orders fell from the bishop to see the status of church... it's a mess out there Isaac" things were looking horrible, while she listed the status of things we walked to the exit of the chapel, I didn't need to see the sight of the Excalibur as I fully knew I'd be going the wrong direction, he had what he needed and now our job was to go to the next Excalibur fragment and guard that one next

A car soon pulled up to the front of the chapel, it was partially damage but It ran just fine, in the passenger seat was Altan who quickly exited the car and approached me with a solemn expression of defeat, the drive was a different exorcists then Bulut

"Status?" he asked while looking into the chapel, he scrunched his nose dangerously at the sight of the destroyed alter

"They got what they wanted... the Excalibur was gone when I came to" I replied, the words felt and tasted horrible to release, all those men and women that died, died for nothing

Altan's brow rose slightly "came to? You engaged the heathens alone?" he asked

"No choice in the matter, I was the only one to remain behind when my associates assisted in helping the escort of wounded back to the fall back point... I engaged two leader class fallen, but as you can see, I lost" I reported while purposely leaving the fact a demon attack out of the equation

"Two leader class fallen, who were they?" he asked

"Unidentified, no introductions, no honorifics, they attacked without remorse... I'm surprised they didn't end me when they had the chance" Altan studied my words before looking to me with a serious gaze

"Alright then... I'm sure your objectives are to be taking else were?" he asked again, brow still raised high

I nodded "we are the ones in charge of hunting them now, we'll be leaving to chase the heretics as soon as we are able"

"Your plane was damaged during the attack but I could get a repair crew to assist in its repairs, the sooner you three get back on the your horse the sooner we can stop those fallen angels" when he finished he shook my hand, it was firm but I still felt a lax in his grip... the defeat was eating him from the inside but like a true leader he continued his duties regardless of emotional strain

"We will, and I will accept the offer on the repairs" I said and he looked to me calmly

"they're already working on it as we speak, get down to the air strip and be on your way father Blackburn" when he finished he turned and waved over his head "give my regards to the fallen when you meet them"

I smirked slightly at his words "damn right we will"

Soon after and me and Irina gathered Xenovia before we walked down to the air strip, to many vehicles were damaged during the attack so we walked the whole way

The security gate we entered in was destroyed, the gates remained standing but the watch tower was gone, a few exorcists were standing a few yards from the wreckage with several body bags by their side

The sorrowful expressions on the exorcists was all we saw as they prayed for the dead, my eyes lingered on them for a moment before I caught up with the two stoic exorcists, Irina looked almost dead inside by the sight and Xenovia's furrowed brow remained all to present

And for the first time in a long time, mine were as well

When we arrived at the air strip were our plane was stationed we found the repair crew just finishing the repairs, mostly electrical damage, nothing to hinder a flight, they offered to supply a pilot but I declined, they needed all the men they had

Besides, with 40 to fifty years of being on earth I had picked up on a few skills and licences namely a flight license

Before we started to file in to prepare to fly I spotted two bodies near the cockpit and one in the passenger cabin, the pilots were both stabbed in the heart and Amelia showed no physical wounds

But more internal wounds, Malthus had done the worst on her

My eyes held no emotion as I scooped her up and placed her on the cabins passenger couch, I ran my hand down her face, closing her blood shot and terrified eyes

I remained there for a while, just holding my unemotional gaze on Amelia's hands that I had crossed on her stomach, Amelia was possessed this whole time, Malthus had concealed his presents within her soul, I hadn't noticed before with my ability as I was to focused on other things and my lack of experience with demons didn't help me in the least as well

A hand landed on my shoulder, I didn't acknowledge it

"Isaac" started Irina but I interrupted her

"She was possessed this whole time" I said suddenly "this whole time Malthus was concealed within her, buried deep in her soul, and I didn't even consider that a possibility" I expected the hand to let go but it remained

"You couldn't have known that Isaac, known of us could've known" she said soothingly, I remembered then that they didn't know what I was and that I had every potential to stop what had happened and they still didn't know, they wouldn't

"Everyone has their mistakes senpai... even the more experienced, I was told the best way to honor the dead was to live and fight for them, wallowing in self pity only dishonors them" she said sounding as comforting as a mother

I remained silent while I listened to her words, she was right, the best way I could honor those who fell because of my mistake was to honor them to the best of my abilities

I stood up abruptly, surprising Irina "we need to get in the air, once we do that we'll contact the Vatican and update them on the status" I sounded determined and all Irina did was smile, stepping past her I looked to her and smiled but it was forced, she didn't notice

Dropping into the pilot seat I buckled up while Irina sat in the co-pilot seat for obvious safety reasons while I contacted whoever was in charge of the run way, we waited a moment but we were soon cleared to take off, no other planes except a few smaller planes were either destroyed or in the hanger so we had the run way to ourselves

Adjusting the settings on my end as well as Irina's we cleared the runway and ascended to acceptable altitudes in record time, due to no air space in the area I directed the plane in a direction and activated auto pilot

"Xenovia, contact the Vatican headquarters, we'll update them now" I said, Xenovia didn't talk back or argue and simply did as I did before near the back of the plan

Pretty soon the blue loading bar from before filled the back of the plan but the screen didn't reach services as instead of Claire or Arndell answering we were directed to an emergency service screen that informed us on problems of minor concern, but I knew exactly what that meant

"What's going on?" asked Irina, I rubbed the bridge of my nose before answering

"The Vatican has been attacked" I announced, both Irina and Xenovia both widened their eyes at the news

"That's ridicules, an attack on the Vatican is borderline insane not to mention you'd have all other churches fall into silent lock down, attacking the Vatican seems almost counterproductive" replied Xenovia sounding skeptical

"Not unless there was a simultaneous attack"

Both Irina and Xenovia stiffened when they realized what I meant "so while the attack happened at the Eastern Orthodox Church another one happened here?" Irina asked as if confirming an assumption

"That's exactly it, I'm not too surprised the Vatican had housed an Excalibur, it is an extremely well defended fortress after all, but even they can fall, given the right plan of action" I replied

"this is getting outta hand and in a hurry" muttered Irina, I simply nodded before moving to the console on the right side of the terminal screen, the emergency telecom screen as shown before us was broadcasted almost all over the Vatican city as well as the rest of the country, any incoming calls are redirected to the telecom channel or service provider while outgoing calls from within the Vatican are scaled down to off the grid usage

All I had to do was enter in my clearance code and call-sign, which was 'paladin' and I should reach the archive service room com channel

[Broadcasting channel 'Genesis' approved to 'Paladin' of the Vatican's secret division] came a calm mechanized female voice

"Vatican city headquarters, this is 'Paladin'.. Do you copy?" I said into the screens microphone, a blue pulse like animation on the screen suggested my voice was literally broadcasting

Silence

"Vatican City headquarters, this is 'Paladin' does anybody read me?" my second call was followed in silence for a short while before we heard rustling and then a familiar voice filled the receiving end

"We hear you Paladin, what's your status?" came the voice of none other than Griselda Quarta

"I'm more worried about your condition then my own" I replied seriously, but it held a friendly tone in it

"Are the other two with you? Are they alright?" questioned Griselda, and I guessed the standard com's protocol was now officially out the window

"Were fine, a little banged up but otherwise... fine" I replied distantly

"Are you alright Xenovia?" she called out, Xenovia stiffened but remained Impassive before replying

"I'm fine" was all she said, the other line was silent for a moment before I started the topic back up again... I could sense tension in the air

"All of our status' aside, we are wondering the status of the Vatican, emergency broadcasting has taken effect and the only reason I got through was by accessing the 'Genesis' channel. Can you fill us in on the status on the ground?"

She sighed deeply

"It's a complete mess, an attack happened about two hours ago" she informed causing my shoulders to slump "the attack was organized by two leader class fallen angels and by the sounds from the reports I'm getting, they organized on a military level"

"How tragic" muttered Irina whom was holding her crucifix again

"You don't even know the haft of it Irina" replied Griselda with a deep sigh, she must be stressed

Griselda was high in ranking when it came to being a sister, she was considered a high ranking nun among the female clergy and well respected in the versus of exorcism, damn straight she was... wasn't my partner for nearly twenty years for just her good looks

"By the way Griselda, where is Arndell?" I asked suddenly and I could swear I heard her voice hitch for a split second

"That's the worse part... when I said the fallen were organized I meant it, they hit us at critical points, barracks, com's rooms, training locations and sleeping courtier's and lastly Arndell's office room" she finished leaving me shocked

"Closer inspection revealed he was hiding something" I stopped her before she continued

"An Excalibur fragment"

"How-how did you know that?" she asked sounding genuinely surprised

Please don't tell me Arndell neglected in informing Griselda her precious sister-in-law had gone on a high risk operation with yours truly

"That was our task, didn't Arndell tell you that?... Griselda?" I didn't get an answer, all I heard was heavy breathing and a feint smell of ozone oozing through the microphone speakers

Ah Christ! He really didn't tell her?

To confirm my suspicions on my imminent demise I could practically _feel _'that smile' through the mic, and by god did the others as well, Xenovia's eyes were hidden under her blue hair and her stature was shaken slightly... Irina just looked terrified, no sense in hiding the emotions when you don't have a rep to uphold

"~oh Isaac, to go and command an operation with my sister and her dear friend behind my back was very rude~" she said sounding waaaaay to childish

Oh god that voice was her second form of rage

I fought the urge to fall to my knees and pledge apology after apology but I fought it with great levels of determination, my old partner was _very _good at expressing her emotions through words where she basically fed the seeds of imagination through words

I've seen stubborn heretic's who had taken hours of interrogation crumble at Griselda's words _only._ This tone she was using however was what we at the Vatican believed was "The wrath of God" was taking a humanoid form

"~so Isaac, are you going to explain to me why you did what you did?~" she asked with _that_ tone still activated

*Cough*

"R-right, about that... we kinda were issued the mission by Arndell himself whom also re-tasked Xenovia and Irina to go along with me" I started explaining

"Continue" she replied normally... Huh, her tone changed back to normal, rather quickly to

"First we answered a distress letter from St. Paul's Cathedral were we discovered the Excalibur blueprint was stolen" before I could finished I heard a loud _bang _echo on the other side of the com's line

Griselda wasn't best known in keeping her anger controlled, so I'm guessing an unfortunate wall was greeted violently with a large desk, courtesy of Griselda's exorcist training... and temper

"Those heathens, stealing what isn't even theirs" growled the grey haired sister

I needed to think quickly before she issued any orders, that was _not _what anyone wanted, she believed the fallen were behind the attack and subsequent death of an archbishop, such an act was level on full scale war, however, Griselda was close behind Arndell in official ranking and even surpassed him – no surprise here - in exorcist experience, so she was technically the stand in 'commander' but I needed to douse her anger and inform her of the real threat before she went from 'stand in commander' to full on 'crusader'

I remembered the time when I was informed and introduced to the 'Genesis' channel a few years back when the 'Nexus' was in its final stages of optimization, the channels main function was to send highly secretive information about the supernatural from across countries on a world wide scale, it was how the information gathered by those who worked in the archive were able to relay the information about whatever the operator may be facing without worry of a third party hearing about it

And after time went by its uses grew, and this was one of its many functions

All in all, this channels communication layers were so secure the pentagon in the states would most likely pay top dollar to learn its main secret... sadly it would do more harm than good

"Just to clarify, Griselda, the ones who are responsible are not who you think, but just a single person" I started causing both Irina and Xenovia to look to me with both shock at my readiness to get her involved as well as my blatant disregard to Arndell's orders to secrecy

Guess they forgot_ I_ was the one who issued that order

With a small smirk of confidence I doused their worry

"Then who was it?" she asked seriously, the powerful voice she carried reminded me when she was back in her real element, the sister persona was a _big_ change for her

"..." I hesitated in my answer, no one just says 'hey a demon is prancing around with not one but two Excalibur fragments and the means to reconstruct them' that is like an atom bomb in word form

A desk wouldn't be the only thing destroyed if I just laid that out

"~Isaac? You still there?... cause I would really like an answer~" her earlier tone came back but this time it was faltering, she and I knew what pauses were when we informed the other of something shocking, it was a silent un-worded message to 'remain calm' and right now it worked caused now she sounded like a wounded victim waiting for the mercy bullet

"Back at the cathedral in London, all three of us found evidence of an Unholy being had taken the Excalibur blueprint" I explained hoping the subtle approach was the best decision... I heard a deep sigh of relief

"You had me worried their Isaac, a devil was behind the attack? That confuses me, why would a massive platoon of fallen angels be led by a devil?... could the old Satan fraction be on the move?" she said sounding like she was running a few situations and scenarios out loud to herself

I knew the hint would fly over her head

"We found sulphur Grisy... devils don't leave sulphur behind" I corrected adding in the nickname

A silence broke out for a minute

"His name is Malthus... One of the Demon princes from hell whom somehow escaped from heavens prison" I explained, Griselda was just soaking it all up

Again, "Demons" are very different to "Devils", Devils are more like the 'humans' but with supernatural abilities directly handed down to the them by the patriarch of their family house of the underworld or "hell" as its better known, I get mixed up between that and the Greek underworld

I don't know who the idiot was who named hell 'the underworld' but Hades should file a copy right infringement letter

But anyways, Demons are more like the 'Gods' of hell, Malthus isn't considered a god but more like a 'demi-god', if you want a representation of power then he'd probably make one of the current Satan's run for his money... or mommy if they ever crossed paths

The only ones still considered "Gods" were the original seven demon gods, but most of them were dead

But the fact _a_ demon was walking the earth, not only powerful but also in possession of not one but two Excalibur fragments was _extremely _terrifying

Something was in alignment some where

"Isaac, do you have any idea the amount of danger we are in? Not only is there a _demon _walking around but it's also leading a fallen angel brigade?" she said sounding stretched for words

"He's not leading it, we have reason to believe the fallen angel wild card Kokabiel is in connection with the fallen brigade responsible for both attacks" I replied

"Both attacks?... there was a second attack? What happened in turkey Isaac?"

"I'm guessing Arndell _really _kept you out of the loop" I answered, another smash was heard... she must be in a secluded room, if not, then I sympathizes with whomever is witnessing her rage

"Be that as it may I am _now_, so tell me what happened in turkey?"

"Malthus happened... _I _alone engaged him" I replied glancing – with conviction – to Xenovia who's gaze locked with mine for only a moment

"You idiot..." she started lowly "your powerful but engaging a demon is suicide on multiple levels, you're lucky you came out alive, and that means he's interested in you... _that _I find most disturbing"

Heh, leave it to ol Grisy to convey sincere concern for me with such brutal words, I'm truly touched Grisy

"I regret nothing" I replied seriously "my choice saved two lives at the possible cost of one... and I'd do it again"

She remained silent before I continued on task

"The Eastern Orthodox Church was housing the Excalibur nightmare, we engaged and held off the fallen but Malthus proved unmoved, we lost the Excalibur fragment shortly after his appearance"

The others remained silent before Griselda followed my lead and drop the previous conversation

"And what about Kokabiel? Did you confirm he is in service or allegiance with Malthus?"

"that's still up for debate, the scale of political lash backs in even accusing him of this would not only shed light on the attacks and Malthus but it would also shake the peace treaty bonds we have... weather the three fractions like it or not, they are all involved in this, Demons, fallen angels, and the angels inability of keeping Malthus imprisoned would force most of the blame on them... I _don't _want that happening" I explain while stressing the last sentence

Griselda knew what it meant more than the other two

If heaven was forced to lock down... again, I'd be forced to return as well, blowing all of my cover I had worked for up to this point

"Before we move off topic I have recent news" called out Griselda, she was silent for a moment before a sigh and a grumble was heard "I just leant that the protestant church was recently attacked by a large fallen angel force... they had an Excalibur fragment as well"

Her words left another deep lump in all of our throats

My fist tightened even more the it was

"Time of attack?" asked Xenovia, who spoke up for the first time in a few hours... not counting before

"Exactly when we were attacked, the message was just lettered to us, all comm's were cut off and all technicians stationed at the church were killed, out of the 150 people there only 20 survived"

_**CRACK!**_

This time instead of Griselda smashing something it was me except it wasn't a desk but the jets reinforced frame walls which had cracked and dented in a small area under my force

"Isaac..." called out Griselda

"All those lives... gone, just because of one man" both of the two look shocked by my anger and I guessed they sensed _it _make itself known but only for a second before I resealed it

"They... knew the risks Isaac" eased Griselda sounding new to this field, I didn't blame her, easing me from a temper burst was rare and it almost never was this level

I took a deep breath before I shook my hand just to play off the inhuman amount of power I put behind that strike to show it was mostly just blind human rage but that was actual painless

Even if I did break a bone I'd heal faster then I'd even notice it

"What do you want us to do?" I asked suddenly

The three stayed silent, the two with me for obvious reasons while Griselda was probably running though the options

We had no leads and no plan of action and even if we had one our chances of success was very slim

Griselda might just have to pulled down that jersey and come outta retirement for this but that was quickly forgotten when I heard her next words

"Return back to the Vatican Isaac, I've recalled the two remaining Excalibur's back to the Vatican and am waiting for your two apprentices for the Holy sword adoption ceremony"

!?

My eyes were wide, she WHAT!?

"Griselda..." I started with extreme lowness, Xenovia and Irina were wide eyed at her words but I was completely different "You would use _that_? But not just once but twice?" usually I was the one playing terrified but right now, at this moment, the tables violently turned

She was obviously planning on using that creature, Valper Galilei's, research as well as the blue crystals were found as catalysts so the two could wield the Excalibur's without vaporizing

"My hands are tied and our people our scattered in frantic efforts to cover up the attack, we already have a massive crowd gathering in the Vatican's plaza asking why we are not open, it's so chaotic here it's a hair breath away from turning into something bigger... I have only one choice, either accept this or risk to much attention" she replied evenly but I could _sense _she was extremely stressed by not just the pressure but also my pressure

I am an angel, sights considered unholy are either disturbing or enraging to killing blows... lucky for her I wasn't Raphael or a few ancient cuss words and a promise of damnation would most likely be littered all throughout this conversation

"Fine, this choice bares on you but I will support it... doesn't mean I'll like it" my tone was low as Irina and Xenovia were conversing

"Thank you" she replied gratefully

"You make it sound like I'm the wrath of god Grisy, drop the fear would ya" I suddenly dropped tone with a cheerful one since we had that settled, no need in destroying my friendship with Griselda with a unspoken threat now

I still held her dear to me, it's just this sudden choice without speaking to me was... hurtful

"That's putting it lightly Isaac" sighed Griselda

"I'll see you soon Grisy" I muttered calmly before I tapped the red button officially ending the call

Irina suddenly lunged at me and took my hand in hers with sparkles in her eyes "Isaac... did Griselda mean what she said?" she asked almost gushing it out

My expression remained unreadable "yes, every word"

The excitement the two suddenly had was enough for them to unregister my obvious discontent towards the indoctrination to wielding holy swords, such hypocrisy was... disturbing but I knew the pressure my old friend was in

With Arndell gone she was the stand in for any attacks leading to an official's death, crowd control was her specialty so easing the public was now her roll, but considering the bomb we dropped on her lap as well was intense on insane levels

Her options were extremely spread out and focusing on re-tasking a large handful of division members to our operation was far too large a scale and such action would surly attract unwanted attention such as politics from both heaven and hell, and hell was annoying to work around, especially when their leader was the kind who wants to know _everything_

Griselda had recalled two Excalibur's back to the Vatican, no doubt protected beyond overkill

This demon was gonna face an even stronger opposition when this was done

I _hoped_ it would

**-XxXxXxX-**

**With Issei and co./ large forest a few miles from Gremory vacation resort/ two days into 'hell week' time: 4:28am**

Normally for hell week, it takes a large pool of drill instructors to perfectly direct the soldiers during the infamous week in seal training, but since she wasn't training a massive pool of men in the 60's it was much easier since she only had four asses to ride... (No I didn't mean it that way ya pervert's)

It had been a whole two days since the beginning of her modified version of hell week and she could thoroughly say it was making 'progress' but then again, she still had till Wednesday which was 8 days away, a perfect amount of time for improving and enough time to increase the mental state of all her peerage members

She herself had participated in the training so to personally test the trainings effectiveness on devils and she could thoroughly say it did, more so then she expected

She knew she was weak in terms of the other young heirs in her age group but in comparison to the ones in her peerage she was physically superior _if_ you didn't count Koneko's rook power

She could handle the week with above average improvements but to say the training focused on her would be wrong, the entire goal of this was to improve her peerage and mostly Issei

More thought into his improvement had brought on a nice smile to her face

He had shown to carry the second most determined attitude during the second day's events, sure his demeanour for the first day was droopy and pained from the sheer level of physical demanding exorcises but it was expected

His mind still thought he was human, so he needed to find his new limits then subsequently shatter those limits for even greater limits, if the training went by correctly then he'd develop a mentality for growing even farther than even herself

She suspected he'd be stronger then her after the training _if _it went well

She had gone into the 'feeding of doubt' regime towards Issei, no sense in doing so to the others as they already had their objectives

While Issei just wanted to cup a pair of tits

She shivered slightly, she didn't _wish _for the training to work, she'd make sure it did

Issei's mentality during his first week as a devil was on par to being extremely ignorant to his actual level of danger and he seemed to relate to those 'self-insert' characters found in stories all over the internet, he'd shown a massive interest in not just her but her bulbs below her, flattering yes but it still felt extremely uncomfortable to see his eyes glued to them and not her eyes and it seemed every other interest he had was aimed down left field or completely opposite to any constructive goals

Something just felt, 'self insert-ish' about his decisions in going about his change into devil hood, everything felt laid back in his emotional state and his main goal was to create a harem? Natural for devils yes, but didn't he realize that goal would be much easier if he had immense power?

She wasn't versed in lustful effects but she felt if he did grow powerful women would flock to him in droves, thus neutralizing the goal's importance to just a simple one

She shook her head at that part of Issei, he had shown only a small sign of it yesterday but after it he'd seemed determined on the training and not Akeno's ass.

This then came down to the boosted gear

When she learned of his sacred gear she did extensive research on past wielders, and some were terrifying, one man was the one in Greek legend to lead 300 hundred _Spartans _while another was... even more horrifying

The pressure was on Issei, not only was he related in a small way to earlier legends whose stories alone are worth more than him but he was also destined to fight someone similar to him

She could only hope she had enough time to condition him for the fight or else she'd lose her pawn before even starting her rating game career

She wanted to strut him off a bit after all, it's not every day you resurrect a legendary sacred gear into your peerage, and she basically won a lottery of sort

And of course, her Gremory kindness had driven her to this determination not just to create a powerful weapon for herself but to also help the boy grow strong to defend what he wanted

With that aside Rias had haft expected to see a shred of doubt in the boy's eyes but she was glad to see his position didn't even faultier, she suspected the dragon was helping him along but doubted it

Dragons are wise and she was sure Ddraig realized what she was doing

He was probably doing the same thing to him

All these things were what she deeply wanted, the rating game in 8 days was going to be a fight to remember, Riser was a dangerous target to take down and Issei seemed the best fit to take him on but this training she was using taught a different route

Teamwork was key

During the many exorcises she always said that a peerages greatest weapon was the person next to them, utilize each other's strengths and block out each other's weaknesses was what created a unit

With this lesson looming in the air for the lot of them she was curtain her queen would express it effects deeper, she was expecting to see a large burst in Akeno's leadership skills during this week as well

And this would benefit the rating game immensely, all she needed was info on the rating games area and then create a plan to utilize the teamwork growing in her peerage

'_Riser is an arrogant bastard, he's open to a lot of openings'_ growled Rias internally, she expected his peerage to work in predictable wave lengths, suicide squads, distractions, acceptable loses was probably what he'd use. Since he had a full set he probably thought he had this easy and made no attempts in training them personally in advanced rating game strategies

She likes quality over quantity any time of day, if she could have a man whose strength matched thirty others then he'd be the best choice, and preparation was also a powerful tool

Riser may have a full set but that meant he had 8 single piece pawns whose main objective was to probably rush her base to promote, laughably easy for her when not promoted and even easier for Issei with that unnamed ability of his weather they'd promoted or not

The boy fought Riser and disarmed him 'literally' without promoting, after this training and with a promotion Issei gave her a confidence boost she dearly needed

Say what you will about her positive stature and calm demeanour but she was extremely nervous

That 'butterfly' effect that accumulates in ones gut before a big event was something she had come to loathe deeply... One minute she's excited beyond control then the next she's shaking from nervousness

'_Damn nuisance' _she muttered while placing her arms under her bust

They had taken shelter somewhere deep in the forest and she had brought a portable stretch tent for her and the others from the rain

Why were they resting? Well after 8 hours of straight physical exorcise a good hour sleep was just what the doctor ordered

But that was almost over

'_kukuku, I could get used to this' _it sounded more along the lines of happiness for an upcoming future, whatever it may hold, the unknown was something that both excited Rias and terrified her at the same time but the thought of having a power house of a pawn under her and a unified team made her just bounce in anticipation

**-XxXxXxX-**

Issei woke with a start... well not just him but the entire peerage did, Rias didn't because she was the one blaring the air horn

Another day another bruise... or broken bone

Asia wasn't with them during camp but whenever diner started Rias would teleport them back _after _completing a tedious task and as of now, no one was able to complete said task so no one had any food in them.. Only Rias

The day or night or morning started off with a 3 mile long jog through rough forest terrain and rain

In most cases Issei wouldn't have bothered batting an eye at it but since his legs Screamed to be left alone made the usual task of jogging a walk of hell, Kiba and himself seemed the most tired while Akeno and Koneko remained slightly different in physical fatigue but they were considered the same

**[Don't tell me your whining already] **piped Ddraig scolding his thoughts

It took him a bit to figure out what Ddraig was doing but when he remembered what that kid in elementary said about the training his dad went through convinced him that Ddraig was _the little voice_ in his head informing him of his bodies apparent critical condition and lack of strength and then he'd proceed to ask him over and over why he just doesn't quit

To which he'd reply with... 'shut up'

It didn't matter if he knew the trainings goals were, all that matter was 'could he still complete it?' even with that simple fact looming in his head could he really complete this training even if he knew what its goal was?

It didn't matter to him, as a matter of fact it motivated him even more then before

The fact this was to get him to bitch out and quit was angering, it played on his manly pride a bit, if he quit then he'd have to live with the fact three girls were bigger men than him, and he _did not _want to hear that damn pity party

'Oh, you tried your best'

'Oh it's all good'

That would deeply piss him off, the sudden desire to grow was what also motivated him through the rough terrain and no damn physical fatigue was gonna wear him down

"Drop and roll!" barked Drill instructor Rias and just as fast as uttered they all dropped and rolled

A simple modified version of the 'get sandy!' part of seal training was instead replaced with get muddy

The added weight and discomfort would play on both physical levels as well as mental levels as everyone of them got back up covered in nature's sh_t

Then came the worse part of that particular part, preferably for Issei

Every damn time he'd get up he'd feel this distant instinct to glance at the girls

'_Damn it! Not now!'_ growled Issei internally, the sight of the mud covered women was inviting but then came the distraction that would entail, he'd already be caught drooling yesterday and that cost him a few chances of positive standing with Rias, it was the trainee's job to stay _out _of the drill instructors sight lest you suffer his/her wrath and you didn't want Rias' blaring down on you

Ignoring the dirty fetish to lay in the mud (no pun intended) issei trudged on keeping the tunnel vision of focus locked in on keeping with the pack and not on the women

The burning of running was starting to wear on the peerage as glimmers of sweat and haggard breathing was filling the air, they would do three jogs a day and every one of them would increase from 3 miles to 4 miles to a maximum of 6 freaking miles of jogging, obviously breaks were in between but they were short lived breathers but Issei was finding ways to make the most of them

No talking... only breathing, stretch and sit, any body of water was a god (Ow) send for them so to rehydrate but now that they were deeper in the forest bodies of water were becoming scarce to the point of nonexistence

This would bring them to adlib, Akeno was versed in magic so she'd summon as much water during breaks as possible without denting her magical reserves and Kiba would make fires with flame swords so to make sure they were warm, Issei had no idea why the week so far was so bad via weather but he just guessed it was convenience

After the jog, extensive work began

When they said bodies of water were rare it became apparent that every time they'd finish they're jog they'd end up near a small lake at the base of a mountain and every time they showed up Rias would already be there, she'd jog with them for a bit but when they came close to it ending she'd time them and then 'port to the lake so to wait for them, being late would most likely end with extra lectures and more physical workouts, but they hadn't been late once to confirm that

Issei speculated that would change further into the week when physical fatigue would reach an all time high

Now came the partner log runs

Since Issei and Kiba were the weakest in the physical aspect it was best suited the both of them partnered with either Akeno or Koneko, Kiba went with Koneko leaving Issei to work alongside Akeno

Issei didn't know it but apparently the queen piece was very similar to the rook piece as in she had almost the same level of physical strength as the loli

Guess that was the reason Rias picked who'd go with who

After the partners were selected a race would commence between the two teams, there job was to race from the tree line to the water then get in the water and carry the log to the other side of the small lake, then they'd have to carry it back and do log sit ups, which would be like doing normal sit ups except a massive log was resting on your arms, the teammate would take some load off but the fatigue would push the difficulty to the extreme

This was _not _easy

The weight of the mud from the first run was annoying but that'd wash away from going into the lakes water... which was mountain water

The goal of hell week was to target the mental limits of the trainee's through sleep deprivation and lack of food in ones system, then came the cold tolerance from the mountain lake which added to the previously mentioned targets

All of these add into stress and their goal was to overcome it, Issei bared his teeth and prepared for the race. The fatigue, stress and pressure would push everyone of them to the limits but he'd shatter his

**[You should quit before this kills you] **muttered Ddraig, his voice didn't sound deep and dragon like but it sounded almost like his except it echoed

'_Shut up' _

**[You know your limits, except them... they are yours after all] **again 'his' fake voice echoed out emulating his doubts through words but he again doused them with a sharp retort

Pretty quickly and they had started the race, the first part would cause them to find a rhythm while after it just became repetition

Akeno proved to be a really go support, anytime he'd lose grip or fall behind she'd gather him up and continue and he'd do the same in return

They were told to avoid using their pieces abilities scarcely so to fully absorb the training benefits but

Rias had sealed that before training even started

Soon after and they were in the water, and time seemed to speed up with the repetition of things, at the end all four of them were line up and told to sit down were a larger log would be placed on them and they'd have to all hold it up

This forced teamwork, everyone had a role to play and they grunted and bared the muscular pain that followed, when they did they'd call role call and status

A trick question, Issei thought, standard for all military training and drill instructors used it to weed out the weak ones so to place more pressure on them. To motivate them through doubts

"Koneko... status" asked Rias calmly while standing behind them

"Fine" she replied stoically

"Are you sure?"

"100 percent" the second reply was chilled as the mountain water was creeping into her senses making her shiver but her determination forced most of the action to a minimal degree, after they'd finish the long run Rias made sure no one physically attempted to dry themselves and instead ordered them to allow the air to dry them, this would prolong the cold

"Kiba... status"

"Ready to go" learning from Koneko's reply Kiba answered with full determination, the cold and the physical fatigue would wear down on them forcing emotions to rise but the first two didn't show any sign of resigning to the simple temperature decline

"Akeno?"

"Good" Akeno was friends with Rias longer than anyone, if any of them knew how Rias acted and sounded it was her, the status question was just a trick question while the cold would wear on them forcing doubt to rise and she had more experience in training with her

"Issei... status"

Issei had many thoughts pass him by, most simple doubts. The simple question seemed like a gate way, if he answered like the others the week would continue, if he answers incorrectly then the week would continue but with more physical punishment

"Still here" he answer but Rias didn't like the answer

"Does the cold bother you? If you want I can get a towel for you" the words were calm and soothing but Issei felt the scrutinizing gaze from Rias, as much as the towel was inviting he'd just be giving in to weakness

It was just cold after all... Canadians lived in this Sh_t

"I'm good" he answer with chattering teeth, a simple bodily instinct but Issei didn't realize devils didn't have that instinct... the chattering teeth was just a muscle memory of the cold, but he didn't realize that

"Your body begs to differ" she replied and Issei breathed and realized he was in fact shaking

'_Damn it, calm down' _he muttered internally, stilling himself he forgot the need to focus on the cold and tried to look past it

"I'm. Fine" his answer was final, Rias hadn't expected the level of annoyance in his tone but she guessed it was more towards his former human mentality then her constant questioning

_Good_

Thought Rias, the anger at his former limitations was always a good sign of his wish to overcome them

Nodding she pressed on

"Lift shoulder right!" this next drill was a small effort of teamwork that forced everyone under the log to lift the log and rest it on the right shoulder

Sounds easy but under the conditions the peerage was in even Koneko was having a hard time in the mundane task, add the cold shiver under their skin and the sleep deprivation made it extremely taxing on both body and mind

"45 second lift, when you're ready" she said, the four quickly followed and lifted the log above their heads

This showed a problem

Koneko was to... short to reach the log leading Rias to nip that in the bud quickly, when she'd call the lift order Koneko was given a shorter log for herself, it would test her physical abilities and determination under conditions in a solo field

It was a lose and Rias didn't like it but one doesn't fight genetics

She'd make ways and find other paths to strengthen their teamwork in other fields but this was only the third day of training

Only time will tell if she is doing this correctly

Didn't mean she wasn't excited

Operation: Phenex 'ash' kicking was closing in and the determination in Issei's eyes was a good tell tale sign the operations name wasn't just a bad pun but one that sounded like a prophecy

'_Soon I will be free' _

With her thoughts sealed and plans set Rias counted to 45 seconds

**A/N:**

***sigh***

**It took way to long for me to get this puppy out, with job hunting and job interviews, health plan changes and license swaps from Alberta to BC has chewed up a **_**lot **_**of my time for writing**

**But alas, I was able to get this chapter to ya'll**

**And as natural tradition, I always take time in explaining events in chapters and why I chose them in my classic rant form**

**First and foremost... Rias Gremory**

**I have made it well known of my discontent with the way DxD preserves the red head and I have shown a good level of hatred for the cannon Rias **

**But! I've made it my mission to create an actual strong character DxD failed to create, cause I hate pointless bashing of characters were it is incredibly easy to fix with just minor effort**

**All throughout DxD you may notice a lot of the paper thin DxD side characters have to say about our little red head and most would say she's: brave, wise, and inspiring to which would cause me to look at the screen and chuckle like Zach Galifianakis in dinner for shmuck's**

**I'm at a loss of breath at what they say**

**Rias is far from inspiring, and if she is then I'd question what effect Kamina would have on the ORC, Issei would most likely go full on gay (not to mention Kiba would follow) and all of the girls clothes would spontaneously explode off them, if their standards of inspiring are so low that Rias is considered inspiring then Kamina is a literal god**

**Wait a second! Kamina is the paragon of manliness, he's far beyond god**

**Anyways, I've modified her leadership skills from poorly perceived in the anime to an actual leadership role**

**No more childish attitude, and she'll actually have standards this time, she acted like some five dollar hooker during the anime **

**Grayfia was correct in first season, have some self respect Rias!**

**And she damn well will**

**I'm creating a strong female character, something DxD failed at **_**miserably**_

**We have the technology!**

**As for the training... Well, when I re-watched the first season I overheard Issei yell "I'm fighting for Rias, I went through hell in training for her!"**

**I'm sorry Issei but Rias' lack of training abilities was so painful the human P90X is still considered 'elite' in comparison to her little 'warm up' training so you calling that 'training' hell is a sign of how weak of a character issei actually is**

**I've introduced the navy seal training into this because **_**that**_** training is hell, and since my Rias is 100x smarter as well as more of a king then the cannon Rias she has taken it to consideration on using the most advanced training a solider could go through**

**No disrespect to the other SF forces out there but the 'hell week' was much easier to research and learn than any other**

**So, not only is Rias a better character but the training before the fight with Riser is actual **_**training**_** and not just a retarded episode were the main character gets the most useless power I have EVER seen**

**Dress break!? Are you kidding me!?**

**What happens when your opponent is a guy!?... Yeah that's what I thought**

**Seems that power was mostly situational to one time where he blows off some dudes armor, not to mention it's just an excuse for those perverts in Japan to get some more fan service up in this bitch**

"**Hey look it prints money!"**

**Anyone who likes dress break should go set some C4 put in ya shorts and detonate it cause I don't want ya on this planet any more**

**(Calming breath) **

**Ok, so next is the power level of villains**

**The choreography of power and fights in DxD is so bad I brought a basic update in power to every villain still alive as of this moment**

**Loki will be Loki and not arrogant god #1, he'll actually use illusions in battle and cause **_**mischief **_

**Kokabiel will just get a simple boost in power**

**Malthus is gonna be a literal Nightmare for all, even Satan's **

**And that's pretty much... oh I forgot the true Satan descendants, they were so irrelevant and weak in third season I almost forgot**

**Seems the only one who really stood as a threat was Rizevim Lucifer and he can be consider one of those death to all villains who race violently towards their deaths like brainless fools**

**They will actually be stronger then the anime perceive them... seriously, for those who descended from the true Satan's by blood they really put a bad image to their parents names**

**Creuserey Asmodeus or as I call him captain paper skin cause he died so quickly he looked like he had paper for skin... that shit was the most anticlimactic 'fight' I have ever seen (yet another third season disappointment) all Sirzechs had to do was hold out his hand? Guess the cost for a cool fight would damage that breast physics engine of theirs financially**

**Shalba Beelzebub or captain dumbass won't go full retarded by pissing off a dragon then die pathetically in the process... that shit was hawt but at the same time embarrassing**

**Now does anyone remember Katerea? Well she'll be remembered this time round as instead of being killed so easily she'll actually pose a remote threat**

**As for that grandfather to Vali he'll just get a normal power up**

**And now I want to address the harem**

**ITS CLOSED**

**I really appreciate all of this attention to the story and all of the character requests, I do, but I can't just bring in any character with a working fetus, as all of you may know (should know by now) Isaac is an angel but it's still not known to the characters, but WE know what he is**

**Valerie Tepes is a cool character and she'll be relevant and may even become a good friend to Isaac but nothing romantic will come out of it... I have plans for our young transvestite and she's in reserve**

**Then comes Jeanne, I've done some research on her character and I immediately knew where she'd fall in Isaac's view**

**A criminal... who will use any means necessary to win, even if it means killing innocent civilians**

**That Is **_**not **_**expectable with Isaac's personality traits, I haven't really placed him in positions to show his true ideals as they are still hidden but I can say for a fact that Jeanne would be seen more as an enemy then an actual romantic lover**

**I stated last A/N that female characters were not being just tossed into the harem because hey I felt like it, no, it needs to make sense**

**All of the characters Isaac will meet fall into specific personal trait categories that will appeal to him on a romantic level, and some females will have idealistic clashes with him as well as any other character**

**Similar to Serafall and Gabriel's clash but minus the random, unexplained nature of it**

**So Jeanne is out... sorry my dear reviewer, I do appreciate the review however**

**So next chapter, shit hits the fan **

**R&amp;R ya beautiful bastards **

**Peace ;)**


	9. Phenex ash kicking

"_Every battle is won before it is even fought"  
~ Sun Tzu_

**-XxXxXxX-**

**With Issei and co. somewhere deep in the forest a few miles from the Gremory vacation resort/ day 10/ Time: 8:45AM**

This was the final day

The day where all of the cuts, bruises, tears and sweat finally showed in the lime light, this was last day of training and the Gremory peerage had literally been through hell

And the last day was the hardest of them all

Issei knew his inner partner was the head for his actual training and he had been driven to see what exactly it was, imagining what the training could be brought issei to think he'd be fighting for dear life against a monster of dragon deep in a forest where god (Ow) only knows where

But his speculation was diminished when he had been brought to his inner workings, into the massive flaming field where he had first met the dragon

Issei smirked slightly at the lack of brilliant flames, his training with Rias did target his mindset and it worked fully but it also improved his physic as well, he had been confused on why he saw physical development during training and Kiba said all devils evolve quicker under harsh environments, even Kiba was lacking the small amount of baby fat

All in all, he had grown exponentially, the lack of flames obviously confirmed it and Ddraig's ever present smile of pride gave way to speculate even the dragon was proud... or surprised, of his interior and exterior change

Glancing around his inner workings of his soul, issei noticed the ground wasn't glass-like anymore but it seemed to transform, in seconds the former sheet of black glass flooring was replaced by actual scenery, trees as far as the eye could see sprouted up and the ground was replaced by grass as green as summer time, a wild forest fire was still visible in the distance signifying the flames of the welsh were still fighting

A fight barely visible for a set of normal eyes

**[you've grown much more powerful in that training] **piped Ddraig who was still holding a powerful smirk, even issei smirked while looking down to his formerly shredded training outfit which was now repaired by unknown means

"Of course I did, they don't call it the 'Crimson week' for nothing now do they?" replied the teen, he still carried a sense of humor but his eyes were narrowed like a battle ready solider

The sudden modification to the regime "hell week" was renamed by the peerage due to the high amounts of modifications to the human training, and they decided to name it after their king Rias who had proven that every rose has a thorn... and she had a _lot _when she wanted

Ddraig smirked even deeper, the boy before him radiated confidence on a equal level of a mid to high class devil, this was _exactly_ what he wanted, no possessor of him will be weak and Rias had made sure of it before even he could get his hands on him

He'd thank her personally when this was over

But before that, his finally training was at hand, a single hour of endurance was all he needed to help Issei reach an even higher level of power than his previous 'gift'

**[This training I have created for you will be by far the toughest, even that "crimson week" of yours will be brought down a peg] **as Ddraig said those words Issei simply listened while crossing his now muscular arms over his now tight chest, an almost non-excitant expression of skepticism ever present on his stoic expression

**[Over the years I have had hundreds of wielders, and every one of them has proven that they are the most capable humans alive, names I will relinquish later but right now... your first opponent has arrived] **Issei's body tensed when he felt a presents behind himand it was powerful

The man that walked out of the tree line wore what issei suspected was ancient Roman Empire armor, bronze chest plate that emphasised his abs was worn obviously over his torso, red cloth rained down his back like a short cape and a red skirt was his lower apparel, bronze grieves that reached his knees covered all sides of his legs and brown old sandals, and lastly a helmet sat on his head with a small red 'Mohawk', his left eye was covered by a bandage finishing his description

**[Horatius Cocles, a legendary Roman hero that defended the bridge across Tiber when the city he was in was attacked by Etruscans, Horatius lost his eye during this attack but simply continued to push back the attack like a monster. "Cocles" means "one eyed" do not question this man's heroism Issei, he is the second most tenacious possessor of my gear, fight well Issei, your growth lays beyond him]** Ddraig's words carried pride while Issei simply looked to the green eyed Roman hero

The man's expression was blank, but he seemed to look almost completely focused on him, like a ghost that which had retained his combat instincts

Issei got low

There was no telling the man's skill but issei could just tell this 'ghost' was not to be trifled with, his weapons were a simple shield of bronze and a short double edge sword but his stature was trained to superhuman levels

**[Begin] **

Once his words were uttered did the 'ghost' before him lung at him with a sword thrust, in response to this Issei activated Ddraig's gift which slowed down the actions to readable levels

Dodging left of the sword issei quickly shot a low punch down to the man's chest but forgot the shield which dented and reverberated with a loud _cling. _Shooting back from the force the ghost of Horatius narrowed his glowing green eyes and looked down to his shield to see a visible dent on his shield

Grunting loudly the ghost rolled his shoulder and activated a similar gift as issei but this time, instead of issei simple green flow of energy it sprung wildly from his being and caused red violent sparks to corollas around him

A powerful pressure surrounded the area within the opening of the forest and Issei clenched his teeth at it while looking to Ddraig for an explanation

**[I did say you evolution lays behind him didn't I?]** Was the only response he got from the red dragon before he felt a massive rush of wind before a powerful shield slammed into his torso

Just like before, a loud clang sounded off but this time the sound of air vacating from someone's lungs followed

_**CRASH! GAHHH!**_

Issei slammed into a tree a few yards from where the ghost of the roman hero stood gasping for air, the solider of Rome stood completely still before the red dragon that loomed above them floated down

**[Do you understand my aim now partner?]** Questioned Ddraig with a simple gaze

Issei couldn't answer**,** his lungs screamed in pain at the lack of oxygen [my target for your growth is much more deep then simple progression in strength, with all my possessors each one triumphed over the other in some way, be it raw power, desire, stubbornness or just plain reckless abandon]

**[The cycle of evolution is always violent, and right now I'm trying to see if you are a progression or a setback, will you further my reputation or will you tarnish it?] **Boomed Ddraig, his voice was calm before but his loud thoom in his voice signified his seriousness

"What are you getting at?" replied Issei with a wheezing breath

**[I am a dragon partner, my thoughts and expectations are not petty, what you face is an enemy not just immortal but a powerful one, a member of the house of Phenex is not to be trifled with and the only way to defeat a Phenex is to destroy its heart and spirit]**

"With power I presume?"

**[I guess we do connect in a small sense]** muttered Ddraig with a rising smirk

**[The person you see before you is one of my first wielders, he stood tall in my view for his sheer ferocity in the face of apposing odds and did so with only one eye... a perfect relation to your own situation if I do say so myself, now Issei!]** When Ddraig finished explaining he yelled out his new possessor's name

**[If you want to take down a Phenex then prove to me you can take down an opposing force, if you cannot defeat him then you will not progress but defeat him and you will proceed... NOW FIGHT!]**

At his orders the ghost of Horatius sprung back into combat mode, with his sword and shield back into ready position he thrusted himself at Issei with reckless fury and sheer ferocity no human could face without trembling

Issei response was to do the same, with his gift activated at maximum output he charged the empty eyed Horatius with a similar goal his opponent had

The fields of welsh and fire were then filled with the booms of opposing power clashing with the other

**-XxXxXxX-**

Rias chimed calmly to herself, her attitude was one of pure excitement

It had been a whole week since she and her peerage had arrived and she could thoroughly say the changes in her peerage were very visible

The first was her knight Kiba, he was above all else, considered her most lethal piece, his speed and skill with the sword was bar none the most dangerous apart of her peerage, during the week that they had called 'crimson week' he had undergone the same training as issei and his attitude was much sharper than before, whenever it came to sparing she noticed his level of both confidence and determination to prevail**, **he had gone from lethal to hyper lethal in exactly 10 days of grueling training

When day ten came along the crimson week came to an end as the thought of over working her peerage was almost unheard of, she needed them well rested for tomorrow's game**, **but this left them to train their own skills

Then came her rook, Koneko. Not much could be seen under her usual stoic expression but Rias could tell her confidence had skyrocketed, normally hell week targeted the mindset of others but to say she needed a thorough attitude adjustment was out of the question

Rias had already earned the loli's trust.

The true effects on Koneko after the week was actually physical adaption, this would skyrocket the rooks already impressive strength and defense, instead of the small and petty white haired girl was now a petty girl with a deadly set of eyes and unnoticeable biomass that screamed a big bonus of pain if trifled with

Riser's rook would need adult supervision if she wanted to fight _and_survive against her's

Rias chuckled at the thought

The sight of a terrified opponent was funny to see, not to mention liberating in some way

Rias thoughts of improvement then fell onto her queen Akeno, she was a close friend to her in every sense of the word and also the most experienced in her training regime, she was a part of her peerage two years before both Kiba and Koneko joined and a total of 5 years before issei and Asia so she was the most prepared for the training

Didn't mean she wasn't effected however

Her queen had gone from being a normally fit teen with less noticeable biomass to a near picture perfect athlete with every muscle being slightly more noticeable, but physical attributes aside Akeno had developed more internally then externally, its widely known to all that with physical training can increase ones magical stamina due to the harsh nature of the 'crimson week' all of Rias' peerage had grown in biomass this resulted in a sudden spike in energy stamina in every

Perfect for allowing Issei and Asia to train with magic development, although Asia didn't physically train she was at time required to fix a broken bone or bad bruise and the infamous week of training was short on those in the least

Everyone had increased in magic energy, that including her newer pieces, but Akeno had developed an insane amount of magic reserves, before the week's events Akeno could go a whole 2 hours of constant devil energy exertion but now she could probably last a whole 6 hours, and then came her ability to recover said devil energy

Rias had added in small breaks so to test her peerage in gathering as much energy required for the next drill as possible, to say she gave them little time to recover would be an understatement, five minutes was the longest they ever got to sit and breath, so the peerage developed a keen ability to recovering magic at an accelerated rate

Simple breathing and calming exorcises was standard but meditation helped as well

This brought another aspect into her queens growth, whenever break was called she took as much time as possible to teach everyone a calming technique in order to relax in short periods of time, something that they would call battle resting'

Similar to battle sleep the goal was actually to put less focus on the past and more in placing one's mind in a limbo like state, scary in context but rather easy when you're not riled up like a dog on rabies, the idea and goal is to reel in access adrenaline that which can cause ones system to use unnecessary energy

To put it simply, every peerage member has learned to literally control their own body on an internal level, Rias knew to never mess with nature but that didn't mean one couldn't control their own bodily functions and that was a really nice surprise for her, day 5 she suspected signs of fatigue to weigh down on them but they always showed just enough energy to avoid being called out and tempted to quiet

All and all, Akeno had learned to utilize her status as second in command to direct everyone in her peerage to survive, a roll specifically designed for Akeno

Now she could say she had _full _trust in Akeno's leadership, she might even become a king herself one day but if Rias wanted that to happen she would've already started training her in that field, yet the queen never showed an interest such as leading a peerage

Forgetting those thoughts for the future Rias' mind fell upon her last two pieces and their development, firstly, Asia, the former nun and holy maiden of the church, Rias hadn't connected much with her due to the time she had to basically relax in bond with her new bishop but the happenings with riser had interfered with that notion

But alas, she was proud. To see her bishop was quiet fluent in devil magic and its inner workings was a good aspect in her unorthodox way of being resurrected into devil hood

Rias cringed at the memory

'_Aside from that' _she muttered internally before diverting her thoughts from Asia to her last piece, Issei

He was... different, from a stand point one would expect a large sum of development from him but it seemed to Rias development wasn't exactly in Issei business card, obviously the effects of the training had done exactly what she wanted but aside from mental maturing as well as physical development nothing worthwhile came of it, whenever he was asked to create a sphere of magic he'd create a golf ball of chaotic energy similar to a flame and if he knew how dangerous that was then he'd consider himself insane

Chaotic devil magic in its purest form is near impossible to control; its basic level of power is considered primordial compared to regular devil magic yet his sphere seemed much closer to _demonic_

A shiver here and a shudder there and Rias deduced his blind ignorance was sheer bliss, but then an inking feeling crept into her thoughts

When he summoned the 'spark' of demonic energy Rias had expected a form of struggle on her pawns expression yet he seemed calm and even relaxed, at first she thought Ddraig was the cause yet it was confirmed by issei he hadn't summoned that gift of his

Another shudder

Ever since that discovery Rias and Akeno had stopped his magic training completely, and after that was dropped like a bag of lead Ddraig had informed issei his actual training was about to commence as of immediately

That was two days ago

Sure the training of hers was still in effect but she was told Ddraig training would do the same if not more then what she was aiming for, of course the Gremory king was happy to let the dragon borrow her pawn and it turned out the dragons reputation lived up to its word

Issei should large growths in large variety of fields, hand to hand combat seemed much more noticeable, sloppy yes, but he was able to handle Koneko in a lazy match and even won two of the three fights. Koneko had informed them that, that was gonna be the last time she goes that easy on him

The rest was history, two day history, but history none the less, Rias had noticed a growth in Issei 'devil' energy and seemed to surpass expected levels thanks to the dragons 'inner world training' regime

This caused Rias to chuckle softly

She was a king first and a nerdy teenager second... or was that after 'queen of kouh'? Didn't matter the order, all that matter was Rias was, in fact, an Otaku

And not casual either, full on otaku was a better description of her liking towards the Japanese entertainment genre and even that was stretching her loving desire of the fictional worlds

Aside from all of them, the 'inner world training' as Ddraig mentioned had caused quite a nerdy snicker from the red head devil who had quickly replaced Issei's brown hair with an orange spiky hair do

She expected the thought to be hilarious but in the end it caused her to shake her head violently at the image of her pawns hair suddenly become one with the carrots

'_Back on track Rias' _muttered the red head while quickly dousing her otaku thoughts and went back on to her previous topic, long drawn out comedy skits usually become boring by the third paragraph

For the remainder of the weeks training Issei had diverted his lessons from her and more towards the dragon dwelling within him, his lessons differed from many degree's

One such day, Issei seemed to fall deep into a coma, scaring everyone present while the next day he exerted so much power in a long period that the once dense forest was now a massive wide open park, the tree's all vaporized and all the grass and dirt was sent in all directions leaving dry rock exposed

But right now, issei was just lying on the ground at the center of the park, silent, but steadily breathing, once in a while he'd jerk from the side and then flinch to another direction, his expression would change from determined to pained then back to the previous expression

Whatever was taking place in his little noggin Rias deuced he was battling something, of what she had no clue, yet the idea of him fighting was an easy deduction

She observed this all from the comfort of her resort suite a few miles away, binoculars helped in judging expressions while the distance helped keep her safe from massive degree's of devil energy, her brother exerted high amounts power yes, but it was controlled compared to Issei's violent torrents of red energy

Prolonged exposure to it would probably be as dangerous as radiation poisoning to humans except minus internal damage and more body vaporization

The thought of liquidizing at hyper speeds had helped in deterring Rias' growing curiosity to 'get a better look' and simply took to keep as much distance humanly possible.

Whatever her pawns training consisted of it would in the end progress him further down the road to their victory, it seemed weird for her to put all the pressure on the unaware teen but compared to her Issei had more destructive power then even her self... for now at least

Issei was going to be her trump card against Riser, taking down something that's only permanent weakness was divine energy was going to be hard for those who can't even touch that option without it lashing back at them violently and so the last choice was to break him from the inside

Immortals, as unfair as it sounds, can't die and to top that off, the house of Phenex is notorious for high speed regeneration on a jaw dropping scale, any wound could regenerate just as fast as it was received meaning no matter what they throw at him Rias was sure it would be shrugged off without a second glance

Riser probably faced off against stronger opponents before and she was sure they probably hit harder then what she was capable of, her power of destruction was dangerous but still in training, Issei however was different in odd categories, where he 'failed' in devil magic training he would show adept skill at growing at a rapid pace, like a sponge he'd absorb every detail with extreme focus

This week was just a single week, hell week took course after a few weeks of PT before it would kick in yet she just cut right to chase and started hell week without any prior PT training, but yet its effects were still the same

Like she noted before, his hand to hand skills were far better than his prior self, his focus on more progressive means was far better than his pas self and finally came his wing training, she thought it was unnecessary at first but 'she'd rather him have it and not need it, then need it and not have it' prep was key, if there was time to add in bonus skills and such then she'd take it, who knew when he'd need it

As for everything else, he was growing steadily, physical endurance was just as good as her other peerage members and his knowledge on devil culture was addressed on down time after crimson week, he now had a full understanding of their culture and its political workings, then she explained the rating games and all of its workings, rules and regulations and so on

This was to also bring in ideas not just to herself but her peerage as well, she may be the king but a true king rules with the people not alone, if they had strategies and schemes to success then she'd hear them out

Now all she did was watch, in the distance was issei, whose movements seemed spermatic and random, a twitch her a jitter there, it looked like he was experiencing a nightmare but reminder herself it wasn't

Rias thought this was the norm of the training but it suddenly changed in a blink of an eye, the usual steady breathing teen suddenly released a powerful level of energy in a sudden burst that up rooted a few trees a few hundred yards from him, it was surprising but the sheer distance from him had caused the sudden blast of power to feel like a small earthquake, a visible green light shown in the distance from where issei was

Using her binoculars Rias saw he was still lying down on the floor, completely unmoved by the cataclysm around him, small loose rocks floated in the air as If the sheer gravity in the area was disrupted, red sparks rolled off of Issei's form and violently lashed outward about a few feet like an electric storm

She smirked slightly at the sight

Issei didn't seem to be in pain at all, the sheer level of violent energy around him seemed dangerous but she guessed only to outside forces, instead of the expected expression of pain she was pleasantly surprised to a calm and bliss expression on her first and last pawns face

'_I see your growing just fine... Ise' _

she was left in the dark on what exactly the training was, but issei relayed Ddraig's message as it being a trade secret so all that remained was to simply place her trust in the dragon, as unrealistic as it sounded, and let the leaves were they fall

She came to the training resort skeptical on her chances on beating Riser but now... now she could wait to see what the odds had in store for her

When all odds are against you, get even

**-XxXxXxX-**

**Game day, kouh academy/ ORC club room 20 minutes before game start**

Issei sat on the couch in the club room with Asia sitting next to him, both of them looked different in nature, the usual confused and nervous expression on Issei was gone and all that remained was a small confident smirk and ready eyes

The week prior to training was in fact hell itself, Issei didn't know how she managed it but he felt different, obviously in body as he felt much more... fit, and lastly and most surprising was his mental state, of course he felt normal like before but his more childish sides were rung out or grinded out during the week of training

He felt like he went through a massive growth spurt mentally in only a matter of ten days, the past actions he did somewhat caused him to cringe at his ignorance and _'dreams' _

He shuddered again at his past choices, now you may think it unnatural for a person to undergo a serious mental swap at high speeds but that isn't the case, during his week with his master Rias issei had time to think during the repetitive and tedious tasks

And all he thought of was the will to adapt

Every being had it, the ability to adapt to any situation was crucial for survival, its what keeps those willing to change alive while the ones who stay the way they were die out either peacefully or violently, he learnt that from his 'ally' a while back

_The odds of you dying are closer now than before_

His memory on the message was scrabbled but the topic rang like a mantra in his head, it was true, death was extremely closer then when he was a human, now that he was within the supernatural were gods, devils, angels, psychotic murderer's run rampant, obviously there was political sides to it but it didn't change the fact that his first week into the supernatural had proved that this was no cake walk

There was no room for building harems, that was to childish, sure it could happen he learnt that during his little lessons with Rias on how its normal for male devils to take in multiple wives, to be honest it did excite him a bit but he still needed to grow into a safe slot of power to insure he had the means to stay alive to achieve that 'goal'

But it wasn't at the forefront of his mind; the first thing he needed to make sure of was two things. First and for most was the person sitting next to him which was Asia, he remembered what Ddraig said about his tight emotional connection to the blonde and this was no exception

The rating game was no board game, this was a pitch fight with a little strategy mixed into it but it was a fight none the less and Asia didn't like it one bit, she had requested to stay with him last night because of her nervousness and she explained her side of discontent towards the idea of settling things via fists, her 'kinder then thou' persona was still with her and issei doubted it'd leave anytime soon

So, his first goal was to insure her safety, now came the second goal but it wasn't exactly 'second' more like tied for first but it goal was simple... win

Defeating the roasted chicken at all costs was his second top priority, the man's arrogant and cocky attitude was simply painful to see on ones expression, and issei knew exactly what kind of guy he is to women, just a plain a simple douche nozzle with too much money and zero responsibilities, sure he had his family's name to represent, horrendously done by the way, Issei first impression on the house of Phenex was a group of snobs in serious need of a good knuckle sandwich to wake 'em up back to reality

Of course Issei had a personal dislike of the prick but he also saw the situation his master was in, if they lost she'd be forced to live a horrible life as Risers, forgive the context, 'toy'. Like he said before, Riser was a top example of douche and all those punks do is gloat about their accomplishments and brag on the last women the screwed, no commitments, no loyalty, no nothing, just a snobby personality in need of a good beating

Of course he sounded like a hypocrite right now but that would incline Issei still thought in accordance to his previous self to which you'd be wrong, he no long fully wished for endless pleasures IE: boobs, as far as the eye could see, he now knew that was aligning to Riser in _some _way and he'd rather distance himself from ever relating to that prick and like before, it was childish to think that way _all _the time

There's a time and a place for that

So, if they lost not only would the debt he owed Rias would be lost but also she'd live a horrible life with a prick who most likely cares more about her body then her personally and lastly... that damn training would be all for nothing!

Nope

That was not going to happen

With his goals locked in and loaded with determination Issei sat quietly alongside Asia, the others simply minded their own business while preparing for the rating game, Koneko was strapping on a pair of MMA fighter gloves with metallic accents and Kiba was finishing with his custom sword strap before sheathing a single sword away in it, Akeno and Rias were simply sipping tea back as if there was no care in the world

'_Chill as can be it seems' _muttered Issei as he watched the others around him, he knew they were nervous and what better way to cope with it then to do what relaxes you the most

Another cringe struck him at that thought

"You ok Ise? You jumped just a moment ago" Questioned Asia as she looked to him nervously

"Nothing, just a cold shill is all" his answer causing the blonde to tilt her head adorably to the side in confusion

Before the conversation could proceed any further the oak door suddenly opened and out came Sona Shitori or as she was better known as Sona Sitri, not much in the creative department but it sufficed, he was informed of a second devil in the school sometime ago during the first few weeks as a devil and she was the student council president... who knew

"Sorry if were intruding" started Sona with a polite apology

"No its fine, come on in" replied the dismissive Rias allowing the two to come in, Issei spotted the second figure as Sona's assistant president and Queen, Tsubaki Shinra

"What brings you two here?" asked Issei

"Ah right, I forgot" started Rias while shaking her head at her blunder "this rating game will actually be broadcasted over the underworld"

Issei's eyes rose slightly at realizing he was gonna be on Devil TV then Sona came and dropped another bomb "That's right, and I recall hearing about lord Sirzechs himself was going to be over seeing the game personally"

Again, Issei's eyes rose

He had been told by Rias a while back that she did in fact have a brother, an older siscon in fact, and that siscon was the new ruling Lucifer, to sum it up, he learnt that after a few devil hierarchy lessons from Rias, Sirzechs being the last lesson before his training with Ddraig kicked in

Unbeknownst to the others, a small smirk rose on Issei's lips at the memory of his real training, clenching his fists confidently and quietly he refocused his attention back to the conversation

"And as for why I'm here is simple, I just wanted to cheer on my best friend, this would be your first rating game am I correct?" Sona said with a smirk, a very rare sight Issei thought

"Of course it would be, I'm not into those shadow games as some other devils are, so yes this would be my first rating game" replied the confident red head, a side that which Sona noticed

"You sound confident, are you ready for this game?"

"More like excited..." drawled Rias, and a simple glance to her new pawn and Sona smirked again, Rias was a close friend and somewhat a rival in a petty sense and everything new in their lives was either chatted about in person at her house or explained over a few cups of tea in the ORC club room so she knew why her friends expression held so much confidence

The boosted gear

If anything stood a relatable level of power towards a Phenex then it was the dragon of power himself, and Rias' simple glance to her pawn suggested she just couldn't wait to see the inevitable tussle between the two and now she could firmly say she was on the same boat as her friend

"whatever the case, just make sure you knock his block off for me" she said directing a small glance to Issei's eyes, a small gesture that which told Issei it was directed more to him then his master, a small nod and he relayed his determination to fulfill that request

He'd do more than just knock his block off

"I'll be sure to make this as exciting as I can" a second nod to her friend signaled her acknowledgement before a whitish blue magic circle appeared behind the Sitri duo

"It's time my lady" called out Grayfia from her spot behind the Sitri duo

Sona nodded to Grayfia before looking back to Rias "good luck" was her last comment before she walked past the Gremory maid and out the oak doors

When the doors closed the peerage rose like a row of machines being reactivated and filed towards the maid who summoned a red magic circle, everyone had a calm but ready expression aside from Asia's nervous one

It didn't seem to Issei that there was much preparation before a rating game, obviously training wasn't part of his point but all it took for them to actually start the game took roughly 20 minutes, lace up, put the jersey on and get out there, not much was talked about prior to the game and neither words of encouragement were uttered at all

Issei didn't really think they needed the words of confidence, the crimson week built the confidence of Kiba, Koneko, Akeno, and himself and just like the domino effect, Rias built confidence by the fluid growth rate they all reached and surpassed so Rias was just as confident if not more than them, though it felt off that Asia wasn't in the loop as much but fighting wasn't her forte and even Rias said that she'd be brought into a barren few rating games if it so much as calls for it but issei guessed she'd have a better chance on fitting into the group when the fighting starts to die down and the club was left with the usual mundane ORC activities

Oh how wrong he was...

In a small matter of time and the whole peerage was teleported to an alternate dimension, it confused the newer peerage members for a second when they saw they were still in the club room but a simple glance to the window and its small purplish glow suggested otherwise

"Well that's sketchy" muttered Issei as he looked out the window to see the sky was purple, it looked almost like the sky was filled with northern lights, very nice looking if he doesn't say so himself

"Just a reminder Issei, this is a alternate dimension, property damage is all but forgotten" Rias words simply caused Issei to nod, they, as in Issei and Asia, were both briefed on the rating games functions and the thought of forgotten property damage was just icing on the cake

He could cut loose any time

But the thought of doing that so soon was quickly forgotten, the 'bones' of their plan was already cemented into their attack plan, all that was left was the 'nervous system' and the 'muscle' the 'skin' part was just fluidity on execution

The analogy was disturbing but it made sense

"_**Your attention please"**_ started a voice eerily familiar to Grayfia's, a second and they knew it was her _**"My name is Grayfia and I'll be the arbiter of this days rating game, the area chosen for this event is a complete replica of kouh academy, a human school stationed in the human realm and is attended by Rias Gremory"**_ there was a pause then she started up again

"_**Each team has been given and area to serve as a home base, lady Rias and her peerage will be stationed at the old school building while Lord Riser and his crew will be stationed in the principal's office in the new school building. Pawns may be promoted when either side reaches the opposing team's base, good luck to all" **_ after her mutual wish to both sides the line cut leaving the alternate space quiet for a few seconds before Rias got down to business

Wordlessly the peerage sprung into motion, Asia and Issei remained where they stood while Akeno secured the windows and Kiba fetched a school blueprint map and Koneko handed out bright pink magic orbs to everyone the size of marbles, a simple item that was mentioned in the training weeks briefing by Rias, a simple magic spell with its own 'battery' life cast and optimized to read the others thoughts if the wearer so chooses, this would help communication from falling and the whole plan from crumbling

Once everything was 'locked down' the light briefing started

Addressing the map now spread out on the table Rias began by placing three flags In three different locations, they had a field advantage with the knowledge of the area and school layout which was extremely helpful and the three flag locations was the old school building, the gymnasium, and the new school building each marked with A, B, and C respectively

He chuckle when he saw this layout, it reminded him of Call of Duty's domination mode, the 'B' flag was sitting right over of the gymnasium

"B is the key" he muttered and Rias chuckled softly

"Your right, the gym is a lynch pin in ground control and I can bet your asses that Riser will make a B-line to capture it before we can move safely, Akeno, Koneko, Kiba, while I brief the bare bones of the plan I want you three to create traps and illusions to ward off any runners who may wish to promote and retreat"

"Got it" replied Akeno before the three left to do their first job, when they left Rias started up again

"When those three get back Issei I want you to fill Koneko in and move to the gym and retake it alongside her, leave no one standing"

"Consider it done" he replied confidently

The next action on Rias' part confused the two as instead of continue briefing she simply got up from her chair and walked to the couch and sat down before patting her lap invitingly towards Issei "lay your head here Issei"

"H-huh?" he looked confused yet slightly agreeing the notion but his confusion outweighed his other side "I don't think the situation calls for that Prez"

Rias simply frowned before patting it again "would you just do it" she said forcefully and Issei could have sworn he saw a flexing actor in the distance, withdrawing to Rias' order he sat down then laid his head on his masters lap, a small but visible smirk playing on his face

**[perversion intensifies] **muttered Ddraig simply, issei frowned but ignored his partners quips about his unusual sexual fantasies, they were suppressed but they still squeezed out here and there and the feeling of Rias' lap wasn't helping in keeping that side suppressed

"The reason I asked for this was for two reasons" started Rias

"And what would those two reasons be?"

Rias rested her hand on Issei's head before answering "well the first one would be simple... relax" the teen raised a brow at that but Rias continued "ever since we arrived here the air has been rather dense with your anxiety... or is that excitement?" Rias smiled teasingly down to Issei when she finished

When she mentioned his level of power exertion Issei took a moment to feel out his own power level and it was indeed chaotic, nothing truly dangerous to anyone but it felt uncontrolled. Issei thought on that matter, was he nervous? The question was hard to distinguish as one side of him was... hesitant to battle but another haft of him was screaming out to destroy his opponent, that being Riser

Further thought on it had come to Ddraig's words about a week ago, he said his mentality was becoming more dragon like and that Asia was a catalyst in that regard, and lately he was feeling the same for the red head for other reasons, see where he wanted to protected Asia's innocence he started to want to protect Rias freedom from Riser and those feelings were much stronger now, the memory of Riser going to hit Rias was a clear sign he had no respect for her what so ever and that angered him deeply

It was sudden but her action in resurrecting him was a large act of devil kindness, damning yes, but a kind action in general, he hadn't had much to bring to the table and he doubted he would be anything he was now without the boosted gear, all in all, Rias was kind in a weird way and he knew it could've been so much worse if it wasn't her that resurrected him, she practically adopted Asia after the fallen accident and showed no dislike to the nun at all a even deeper sign of her kind nature

And Riser did was step on that and prance around with ego waving around, it took some explaining but after his little ass kicking at the hands of the pawn of Phenex he was informed his discontent towards Riser wasn't just normal but expected, his dragon like attitude was growing to territorial levels

So Riser basically walked in a shat on his door step

All this added up to his simple answer, he wanted nothing more than to rush Riser and deck his ass a million times over before sun rise. He wasn't nervous... he was restless, like a quiet caged animal clawing at the ropes that bind him

Glancing up to his master with determined eyes he answers "I'm not nervous... I'm ready" he expected to see shock on his master but her previous smirk grew to a smile

"That's good to hear, this leads me to the next point, my adorable servant" she started again before she placed two finger on her wide eyed servants forehead before a pressure Issei didn't know he had was lifted from him a small but audible drop in sound signaled a disturbance in the sound barrier

"allow me to explain, when I resurrected you I did used 8 pawn pieces but I _didn't_ explain what that exactly means, a mistake on my part but I didn't want to confuse you so quickly into your new life, too much info can damage ones focus" closing her eyes and smiling cutely she pressed on soon after "every pawn piece holds an abundance of power and each piece that stacks obviously causes that power to rise significantly, you're a special case with this, an 8 piece pawn is rare and the power received from all eight pieces is terrifying on many levels... if you promote to queen you might even be considered a king piece"

Issei was shocked at the info, he had just learned that not only was his power level suppressed but it was considered dangerous to the point of king level? It was a good thing he was lying down or else he might've requested the lap pillow right about now

**[I was going to tell you this but I relented from doing so, when you woke up you only had two of the eight pieces active and now you have seven] **Ddraig filled in

'_Only seven? Why not all eight?'_ he asked in reply

**[there is still much you need before you can access **_**that **_**much power partner, in the mean time I suggest you relish in your growth in power as of right now] **issei could feel a smirk grow on the dragon and he knowingly knew what that meant, he had trained to the brink of shattering _while suppressed_ and now his cap was raised even higher than before?

He was going to tear some sh_t up!

"I see you figured it out" piped Rias while smiling down to him "it's as Ddraig explained, your stronger now then you were before, so why don't you show me what you can do?"

Issei's response was a smirk; one that relayed all that Rias needed for as an answer and in return, she smirked as well

Issei had been primed to the point and Rias was readying the trigger, now all they needed to do was commence the operation

It took a good ten minutes but the others soon returned bearing news of a job successful with zero encounters with Phenex pawns, Rias was silent for most of the debriefing as she was most likely contorting a battle strategy

The fact the pawns were not taking immediate action was a very small sign that Riser was actually using a strategy, she was expecting a blitzkrieg from him but he seemed to relying on territory tactics then a blind rush of the opponent

_Good_

Rias had taken the liberty of scheming multiple scenarios during the training week, a blitzkrieg was a large guess as knowing Riser he'd probably just 'zerg' rush his 'weak' opponents just to get this game over with but it seemed that was not his direct choice of action

Then came the next choice and least likely, a defensive perimeter tactic where he'd just defend his base from all forces similar to the human strategy used in the Alamo, the effectiveness of it wasn't really reliable due to the history of said strategy but if it was used in the right hands then it could be a deadly decision

But if Riser was using that then he was either lazy or actually taking this game seriously which was extremely low on the plausible side, Risers arrogance wouldn't allow him to stoop to 'camping' and he was probably using her third guess

It was a basic strategy, capture every zone possible and funnel in his opponents for an easy sweep, a simple plan like that is deadly and hard to notice but she wasn't complemented as a tactician for nothing, rule one of being a king is to think like one _and _act accordingly to that rank, this also opened a few sub branches to that responsibility

A king isn't just a king; he is a politician and a general. following the roll of leader one must fall into either one of these categories if they wish to make it in a rating game, fortunately she was a little bit of both, her brothers political status was handy in some occasions and the tactician training she had received from a few other respective sources did help in forging her general side as well

Fortunately, she wasn't negotiating her victory but rather fight for it, so the 'politician' wasn't needed in this moment of time but rather her 'General' side was a more... beneficial choice

Rule one in fighting a war: know thy enemy

Simple, Risers forces were large in numbers so obviously he had strength in numbers but the quality of his forces were not as stronger as hers, Riser was a prodigy in rating games but his tunnel like vision with basic known facts was cringe worthy for a supposed 'prodigy'

Rias suspected that title was more self proclaimed then an actual legit title

She realized her forces were small, but it didn't matter in the least, her knight was sharp and to the point (no pun intended) he had been through hell and walked out with nothing but a massive load of confidence while Riser's knights were most likely self taught, Kiba would handle them just fine

The bishop, she was sad to say she didn't know her name but rather her reputation in rating games, the poor thing was mostly a sacrificial piece to Riser than an actual unexpendable force, but obviously she was much more experienced then her current bishop who was 'greener then grass' in the combat field, the bishop needed to be taken care of, the second bishop had a rep of simple observer, Ravel Phenex, the little sister of Riser was better known for runner lip then actually doing anything

Rias didn't care about any of that, the little princess would know why it's dangerous to be on the rating game field after this was done, she made it abundantly clear that _no_ mercy was to be shown, if the little girl wanted to be in the big leagues then she needed to see what exactly that entailed

And a breezy day wasn't what she was referring to

The pawns were the least of her worries, promoted or not, they still didn't match in true combat experience to her or her 8 piece pawn, sure they played in more rating games then her but that meant nothing if they went against a battle hardened pawn like Issei who had been drilled into combat perfection in a span of simple week, he had out match both Koneko and Kiba in a small Varity of combat fields easily, then add the fact he had seven of the eight pieces reactivated meant he was a wrecking ball just waiting for a chance to run rampant

Koneko was at the most disadvantage however, sure she was strong as a rooky but the two rooks she would be facing not only had a good play record in other rating games but they had experience in real MMA and Chinese kung fu combat for a total of two years, Rias made a mental note that if Koneko was to engage the two at the same time then she needed to make sure she had back up

Now the last piece was the queen, Yubelluna the bomb queen, a notorious rating game queen with a impressive record in the games profession and is considered a very close asset to Riser, under no circumstances has she ever been sacrificed in any way, she had a plan to deal with her accordingly, aside from Riser she was the only real game changer on the opposing team and if they took her out then Riser would be alone

The others had remained silent and waiting as Rias collected a battle plan and now she had one, clamping her hands together, Rias opened her closed and concentrated eyes and relayed a plan

Operation: 'Phenex ash kicking' was now in effect

**-XxXxXxX-  
rating game broadcast room, with Sona and Tsubaki and a silent Grayfia**

Sona and her queen, Tsubaki, remained silent as they, alongside the stoic Gremory maid Grayfia, watched as not a single sign of movement came onto the devil magic screen, all the systems were positive and every single viewer was comfortably waiting for the action to start but all that remained was silence

Obviously the attack plans were being forged and not a second after did the bored expressions dropped when the screen flashed to the side of Risers peerage, three pawns and one rook rushed the gymnasium at high speeds while another set of three rushed into the forest

"Risers taking action early it seems" muttered Tsubaki, Sona nodded and accessed a plausible attack plan

"He may be creating a diversion, the gymnasium is a lynch pin in territory control and taking it would be a good strategy, and If I was Rias I would be planning to take it as well, but doing so would create an opening for a three pawn promotion" Summarized Sona, Tsubaki hummed in agreement while unbeknownst to the two Grayfia was over hearing the conversation

The gray haired maid remained silent as she observed the screen as well, about ten minutes and all three noticed the side of Gremory was then commencing there plan was well, Tsubaki watched as Kiba rushed out the door and walked calmly into the forest, the kind smile on the knights face was present as usual as he simply strolled into the forest with little to no rush

Sona on the other hand watched as Rias' rook Koneko and her new pawn Issei hyoudou ran out of the old school buildings rear exit and ran towards the gymnasiums rear entrance

"Seems the action is starting, Tsubaki light up camera's 6 and 4 and bring them to closer view" requested Sona as two camera's glowed and grew larger for easier observing

Screen six was the rear entrance of gym and screen four was that of the middle of the forest

The first encounter was soon to start

**-XxXxXxX-**

Issei and Koneko jogged at a brisk pace towards the rear gym entrance with one goal in mind: sweep and clear, any and all contacts were to be destroyed with no survivors

Issei felt nervous but he doused the simple butterfly effect before he pressed his back against the wall just to the right of the door to the gym, Koneko followed after him just as quietly

Rias had briefed them on the possible encounters of the gym, knight's or rook's were high chances, pawns were a guarantee, Issei felt the small rush of adrenaline from the jog fade away as he remained pressed against the brick wall, their orders were to hold at the rear of the gym before they were cleared to enter

"You think they know we're here?" questioned Issei as he popped his ear drums to see if he could pick up any echo from the other side of the walls

Koneko simply shrugged, they had anticipated there would be a threat in the gym and so they prepared by suppressing their devil energy, if they knew they were here then they must have better hearing then her

"Not sure" she answered

"_Koneko, Issei, engage at will"_ Rias' mechanized tone rang over their communicators signalling the attack was commencing

"Let's go" muttered Koneko before opening the gyms door, Issei nodded and followed after the Gremory rook. From within the gym all lights were off, aside from the natural purplish light piercing the roof windows it was completely dark but it wasn't a bother to them, devils were natural beings of the night, darkness was their ally so seeing the four other devils in the gym was easy

"I knew I smelt Gremory filth" the sneer was yelled out by a woman who wore a blue Chinese kung fu outfit, Issei didn't know her name but he knew it was a Rook, the power level she was exerting was high on the hit list so she was priority, the other three were simple pawns, two green haired loli's holding chainsaws and the same pawn that did him in during the meeting, her name Mira if he remembered correctly

'_She'll go first' _he thought, his road to redemption seemed to be close by so he'll take it with glee

"Three pawns and one Rook" muttered Koneko while she held her right ear

'_Copy that Koneko, neutralize them quickly and rendezvous to the next objective, Kiba should be engaging his targets right now" _Rias' response was clear to the two yet the others looked on with bored expressions, they were obviously waiting to be engaged

Glancing down to Koneko Issei nodded before he himself received a nod in return, the Piece's of Riser's harem/peerage expected there would be introductions but they widened their eyes when the two Gremory servants sprung into immediate action without muttering a word

_**BOOOM!**_

The burst of speed Issei used to close the gap between him and Mira shattered the ground he was previously standing as well as currently, the speed was so sudden the only thing Mira saw was the calm green slighted eyes of Issei before she felt a powerful palm strike cream into her solar plexus

_**CRUNCH!**_

"GAAHH!" Mira let out a pain gasp as all of the oxygen in her lungs was forcefully removed; a sickening crunch followed a moment after the velocity rings that formed around Mira dissipated causing the sound to finally register from the disrupted sound barrier

"_**One of Risers pawns, retired" **_announced Grayfia stoically

While Issei made short work of the first pawn Koneko engaged the green haired pawns who were quick to turn on their chainsaw's, due to the speed impediment Rooks carried Koneko reached the pawns a fraction of a second to late and had to duck under a horizontal swing from Nel and then loop into the air to avoid her legs being removed

Both Nel and her sister had been far to panicked to placate a well balanced attack due to the sudden actions their opponents had carried out and to say they were not reeled in emotionally was a direct understatement of their mental make up

In their eyes, they had just witnessed that 'weak' Gremory pawn decimate Mira in a matter of seconds, and they had not expected that _at all_, their master, Riser, had informed them that the training they had under taken wasn't anything they couldn't handle but this was not the truth

**CRACK!**

With the hysteric nature of their thoughts, both Nel and her sister had blindly thrown their chainsaws at their secondary target who had easily avoided their blind swipes and to capitalize, dropped down at full force which had cracked and shattered lle's chainsaw blade rendering it useless

"What the hell!?" yelled lle as she tossed her now useless chainsaw to the side, she looked visibly irritated at the notion of her toy being destroyed but Koneko ignored it, pawns usually cling to a particular weapon as a means of growing powerful, be it a staff, a knife or in this case a chainsaw they always cling to it because it's the only thing that keeps them relevant, and now that her weapon of choice was destroyed meant she was now irrelevant

Good enough for her

The two green haired pawns obviously looked to be of the dynamic duo shtick and she had just disrupted that strategy, refocusing from her thoughts Koneko rolled to the side when she spotted the other sister, Nel, come down with a diagonal slash with her chainsaw

Due to the weapons weight and handle structure the swung came down awkwardly and it yet again caused the green haired pawn to lose a small fraction of balance

_Strike fast and without any hesitation_

Doing as her training had taught her, she capitalized on the opening

Rushing in close to the pawns mid section Koneko prepped a low hook but shifted to the right when she noticed the pawn force her chainsaw up quickly, now the chainsaw was in the air above the green haired pawns head, if she wanted she would've smirked at her mistake

She had the option of dropping her chainsaw in favor of blocking most of her attack but now she didn't have that option unless she wanted to have that chainsaw fall on to her head and the thought told Koneko the Phenex pawn would only get a really bad headache if the pawn chose to do that

Koneko had a larger opening then prior to the pawns sudden feeble attempt to avoid her strike but now she was at an even worse position, narrowing her eyes Koneko lifted her left leg and delivered a powerful high kick to the pawns chest, feeling the weaker body nearly fold in on her superior strength the Gremory rook let the pawn fly from her leg to the other side of the gym at high speeds

_**CRASH!**_

"_**One of lord Risers pawns retires" **_Announced Grayfia as light surrounded Nel's almost broken form

All that now remained in the gym now was two Gremory pieces whom had yet to look fatigued while Xuelan, Risers rook, and lle seemed to be far to shocked to move

"Nice work Koneko" complemented Issei as he smirked to her

Koneko seemed to show no implication of accepting the complement as she instead kept her gaze on the rook "Were not done yet Issei" she said stoically, Issei's smirked dropped slightly before he nodded

"What... what the hell's going on right now?" muttered the Phenex rook who seemed far to shocked to be considered realistic, Issei had long since locked gazes with the rook because as of right now she was priority, if the last remaining pawn decided to jump in and help then she'd be tossed to the side simply

"Riser-sama didn't say anything about you two being a threat! So why the hell are you two still standing?!" yelled the rook, Issei's brow rose at how fast her disposition changed, not a second ago she seemed to be confident enough to face a god un-wavered yet now she was both confused and slightly nervous. All this happened in the time span of a few minutes, if that

"They really didn't take our growth into consideration did they?" asked Issei sheepishly as he scratched his neck calmly

"It doesn't matter, the more they underestimate us the easier this'll be so lets mop this up" replied Koneko as she cracked her knuckles, Issei smirked confidently before he flexed his fist causing his form to be covered in the familiar red energy that seemed to flow much smoother then before

"I'll handle ol rooky over there" muttered Issei as Koneko looked to him questioningly

"You understand that wasting your energy here would put our objective in danger right?" she asked quietly, all she saw in return was a dismissive smirk

"I'm not even trying right now" he muttered just as silently

Koneko seemed hesitant in her next words but she relented in pushing further, the look Issei held was not one that could be negotiated around easily so staying back was her final choice, she just hoped issei was aware of his importance

Shaking her head Koneko Locked her gaze on the final pawn and went to clean up her end.

Issei stepped towards the Phenex rook threateningly, his calm green slighted eyes were now narrowed and focused, Mira was said to be the weakest pawn in Riser's peerage, he may have removed her quick enough to be commendable but simply guessing his next opponent was like the previous take down would be a foolish decision, Rias had briefed him as well as the others the facts of all of Riser's peerage members and one of them was Xuelan who was a rook on par to be a high class bishop if she focused more on her magic efficiency then her kung fu kick boxing, the only thing she uses magic for was to imbue her kicks with fire

The vary basic weakness to a unit was the idea of the enemy knowing all of your forces strengths and weaknesses, all it took was a simple reconfiguration here and there and all of the holes would be wide open to capitalize on, Riser was a popular individual in the devils rating games and as such he was always on rating game TV

Issei chuckled at the next memory

Rias and everyone else knew exactly how to counter act their strengths and maximize effectiveness on their weaknesses, with simple verbal guidance Rias had explained the main weakness a kick boxer had

CQC at maximum closeness

Kicks had range and power but they lacked in close quarters, so his goal was to close the gap and keep it shut until the female rook fell from critical wounds

Issei mentally nodded before he flexed his legs, the ground beneath him shattered at the force and the air around him distorted the gravity which lifted all the loose rock into the air momentarily before they suddenly dropped

_**BOOOOM! CRAAASSHH!**_

In a matter of seconds issei exploded from his spot and reappeared directly in Xuelan's front guard, completely in her 'red zone'

The sudden movement had kicked up a lot of dust and debris which had unintentionally helped issei deliver his first strike to her kidney

**BOOM! **

Issei smirked at the rooks defenses, the strike had forced the Rooks eyes open and only that, the power behind his strike was powerful enough to shatter a large thick tree with small amounts of effort but this rooks ribs hadn't even shattered, maybe a light fracture, but nothing close to what he wanted

Due to the dragon gifts power, issei had been aware of his movement well before the rook had realized and so he unloaded two more powerful strikes to her kidney before he ducked and weaved under a high left knee, dragging his left leg in his repositioning Issei slip his left leg on Xuelan's right leg which caused her positioning to stubble dangerously

"You little" Growled Xuelan as she rolled into her trip and quickly raised back up and repositioned a few feet away from Issei who had remained in his previous position

"To fast for ya?" he jested with a smirk, Xuelan narrowed her eyes sharply at the teen's show of confidence

"You better watch what you say, Gremory filth" she threatened in reply to Issei's jesting tone but it seemed to do nothing in the long run

Not long after did the two recommence their brawl

In explosive speed Issei snapped from his spot to Xuelan's position but the rooks training had sharpened her senses so the mid high heel kick that was careening towards her left side was easily shin blocked with minor injury

Xuelan's eyes narrowed when she realized the power the Gremory pawn was using was not his fullest, she had after all witnessed the boys strength when he maimed her master and rendered him useless for a few seconds, his strength was monstrous, to be able to literally crush a devils closed fist was enough to crush a full and highly pressurized pop can, pistons were needed to crush that yet the Gremory pawn had down it with what seemed to be minor effort

That was with his hands, and kicks carried more velocity and mass. She had haft gambled on the shin block, there was a high possibility that her leg might've snapped in haft like a tooth pick but yet it remained solid and not jellified, this screamed out to her

He was going easy on her

Her objective was simple, recon the enemy strengths and weaknesses for her master and If possible, remove any Gremory piece if possible, this whole time she had been evaluating the strengths of the Gremory response team that consisted of the pawn and the rook and her main topic on mind was the Gremory pawn who's skills had grown in a large margin in only a week's time, he lack that radical and violent aura from before with a more controlled and smooth aura, and his CQC skills were coordinated yet still lacking in real skill but it didn't matter, he was aware of it and worked around his own flaws so to close obvious openings

Sure he lacked the true combat skill and experience but yet he moved confidently, not arrogantly, but confidently. He lacked hesitation as whenever he attempted to wound or strike he did so fast and hard with no second guessing, Xuelan guessed his mental state was worked on immensely, a newbie in a fight usually fought sloppy and with a hesitant mind set and the lack of it in the pawn was a clear sign he had training mentally, then came the aura which felt limited as if sheathed and withheld from fully expanding

Xuelan fought a growl, the idea of fighting a pawn that was not using his all was a blow to her warriors pride and it pissed her off

Igniting her left leg with the Phenex house's signature phoenix fire, the Phenex rook let loose a multitude of high speed high kicks and low kicks, she was visually pleased to see they had landed but the smirk vanished when she saw they had only done minor damage to her target, but her eyes narrowed even more when she witnessed what the boy did next

Grunting in response to the rapid kicks the rook had sent to him Issei flexed his muscles in a memorized response to the obvious barrage of kicks and his dragon gift had reacted in his physical response, the red aura around him had stopped flowing and this time it completely collected around him like a glowing translucent sheet of red glass around his body, physically he couldn't feel a thing but the only thing that had helped him register that the ability had taken effect was the replacement of pain to simple pressure on his thighs, ribs and chest

He had learnt this during his training with Ddraig, using his gift he was able to reform and repurpose its effects, this one reminded him of the nano machines 'Maximum armor' function from a game he played called 'Crysis', his base abilities with the dragon aura was simple speed and strength boosts as well as a sense boost for obvious reasons

But in order to use this one he needed to forgot the 'speed' aspect in favor of a large boost in durability, he had wanted to name this technique "maximum armor" but he felt he'd get someone in trouble if he stole that "shtick" so he instead renamed it "Dragon skin", Ddraig kept insisting that was exactly what it was but he didn't want to hear it... he got to name a power!

Seriously, any kid had a dream of getting superpowers and naming them was the best topic among the kids at the playground so this was a 'dream' come true

"What the hell is that?" asked Xuelan, she looked highly confused yet a little understanding

Issei simply stood by with a blank expression; did she expect him to answer that?

Fat chance in hell he would, he had at times reminisced anime fights and how the villain always seems to just sputter off his strengths and sometimes his weaknesses, it was an obvious show of arrogance and the cliché 'you can beat me' shtick and this would in the end be his undoing

He had even said himself that any fool who willing releases his weaknesses or even his strengths out to his opponent was an obvious idiot, and most likely deserves that ass kicking he'd about to receive

Issei on the other hand, wasn't a fool

Without a word issei sprung from his position, the red glass around his body had made his movements slower but only by a few seconds, all he needed to do to complicate the lack of speed was to simply using his leg muscles more often than when it was a simple jerking of his muscles

With each step he took the ground paid the price, dust and loose rock was kicked around or kicked up by Issei's berserker like charge, Xuelan had been well aware of the apparent bull rush due to Issei's lack of speed and made a correct decision in dodging instead of feeling out Issei's strength again, his increase in durability didn't just decrease the incoming damage but it also increased his strength as well

What happens when a destructible force meets an unstoppable force?

It either needs to get the fuck outta the way or face total destruction, that's the answer

Xuelan had made a correct decision in moving as the gym wall behind her was shattered with Issei's shoulder charge

_**CRASH!**_

It was obviously apparent that getting hit by him now wouldn't just eliminate her but kill her as well

"**One of lord Risers pawns, Retires"**

Xuelan glanced over her shoulder and spotted the little rook of Gremory standing over the glowing lle whom looked unconscious and badly bruised

"Piece of cake" muttered Koneko loudly

"You little brat!" the loud taunt from the little rook did as any normal insult would and it threw her off focus, she was arrogant from the beginning Issei thought as he simply walked to the distracted Phenex rook, she had thought from the beginning that they were no threat and now that the tables have turned she showed her shock unprofessionally

A horrendous mistake and a blatant sign that they had yet to learn everything about combat

It wasn't all about wining, it was about learning and adapting to every situation

Every battle is always one before it is even fought

Rias had been inclined to every situation but the main topic was their confidence and its abundance among those in the Phenex peerage, they had won all of their rating games easily due to simple strategies and the Phenex power which Issei branded as a "cheat code", they had little defeats to learn by and it showed like a shining star in a pitch black sky

Sure they had been sacrificed during rating games so to progress their team to the path of victory but that blocked the defeats true effect on them, in their eyes falling was a victory and they had nothing to learn from it,

WRONG

Most people see defeat as a lose but they had been taught otherwise, Rias and spent the whole training week or most of it in building up their strengths by forcing them to acknowledge their weaknesses and doubts and then she ordered them to shatter it with reckless abandon, rinse and repeat five more days and you got a whole squad of self aware devils transfixed on keeping their own weaknesses on the DL as well as capitalize on their enemies weakness

Xuelan had been so caught up in her anger that she only noticed the side of Issei's closed fist smack her cheek at terminal velocity when it made contact, she felt her cheek almost shatter and a few teeth were chipped at the force, the only luck she had was that her tongue had been out of her teeth's way when they clenched violently at the sudden force of a tank smacking her cheek but everything else paid the price of her mistake

_**CRUNCH! CRASH!**_

The two Gremory pieces were rewarded by the sound of bones breaking and dry wall crumbling when Xuelan finally made contact with a tree outside of the gym

"_**One of Lord Riser's Rooks, Retires"**_

"_Issei, Koneko, I take it that last report was of your doing?" _called Rias on the two's communicators

"Yes, all targets eliminated, we'll proceed to rendezvous as soon as possible" replied Koneko as stoically as ever

"_Excellent work, priority #1 will most likely take action after this small victory... call it in when you are engaged" _advised Rias with a serious tone

"We understand Buchou" this time it was Issei who replied

The comm's went silent suggesting the trading of words was done and it was best as now their job was simple

Hold the gym until further notice

"_Akeno... you've got a five minute window, take it now"_

The last transmission was the last thing heard over comm's for the next five minutes

**-XxXxXxX-**

Kiba's pace was slow and collected, his eyes were relaxed but anyone even remotely inclined to swordsmanship could tell it was just a façade, the key to using a blade was concealment and rage and anger was a dulling to the blades effectiveness both physically and mentally

A wild mind does compare to a sharp and collected mind

However

A confident swordsmen is a deadly combo, confidence is not arrogance, sure it relaxes on the border of it but it mostly balances control and arrogance and keeps either two from taking over, being too focused can cause over thinking and being arrogant is a no brainer on why it's bad to have

Kiba's confidence had grown during the happenings of the 'crimson week' he himself had come to dread with the passion equal to a burning bond fire but it had more positive effects then negative

Before his time during that week he had thought he knew it all, focus, strength, skill, and the sheer will to carry on, but the crimson week had shot that ideal in the balls with multiple calibers... bad analogy for what its effects had on him

Sure it sounded like a kick to the nuts but strangely... he liked it

He meant the training... not the shot to the nards, no man likes that... ever

Aside from the trainings brutal regime of increasing the physical labor it had more mental implications then physical, sure he felt a little more ripped after but that wasn't the goal of the training, a strong body on a child is still weak as the mind of a child doesn't fully understand the uses of that power

A mentality with a strong body was exactly what a training regime should target, having the best of both worlds does in fact make the better outcome and Kiba could honestly say the mentality part was the best part of the trainings effects

Now he felt relaxed, calmer then his past self. Being focused in battle is a good thing and it does save lives on more times than he can count but focus causes unwanted thoughts, it feeds doubts and possibilities of failure to a combatant during calculations and in the face of an opponent stronger can sometimes be your undoing, it can paralyze you and feed a more primitive instinct to the professional mind

A sudden impulse to claw away and hide

Technically it's called fight or flight and all creatures have that instinct, it's what keeps them alive in the most dangerous of times in their lives, sometimes it gets the brasher ones killed and keeps the smarter ones alive

Kiba knew he was a devil but that was a lie, he was in fact a human before becoming a devil and his human mindset and instincts were still with him

To animals the fight of flight instinct is a category, the feral and wild always pick fight, while the weaker ones always run and hardly choose fight

However to humans or devils, depending on the pride level, the fight or flight instinct choice blurs where almost anyone of any size or skill can choose either one or whichever one is the smartest decision

Kiba chuckled at the irony

You may think the training had taught him the embracing of this instinct but it actually did the exact opposite, what it did was push him more towards 'fight' then 'flight'

See it was the sudden growth in confidence that helped this little 'twist' come to the light, Rias didn't want her pieces to run, she wanted them to fight! Fight with everything they had in the best and smartest way possible while utilizing every tool they had at their disposal

Kiba's tool was his sword and the tree's, his knightly speed was also a big help in keeping off the radar of the three little pawns who so mistakenly chose the visual illusion of his masters 'hide out' and now they were in his kill zone rip for the picking

He had to say the surprise on the 'experienced' pawns of Phenex was a nice treat and now defeating them would be icing on the cake

Like a predator in the dark woods... he struck

_**..."Three of lord Risers pawns, retires"**_

**-XxXxXxX-**

A man sat silently on a golden and red throne with an amused expression on his features, his head was resting on his fist lazily while a few other individuals in the room watched on as well, they hadn't truly been announced as spectators as that would've been considered an event

After all

Four Maou's watching a single rating game that seemed to be considered a cake walk was probably the best description of the game before them but what they had seen spoke against those words entirely

"This is surprising" started a male voice, the tone sounded pleased as well as impressed "from what you've told me Sirzechs, your little sister was a growing tactician but this... this is not what I was expecting"

The man on the throne presumably known as Sirzechs, Rias' older brother, replied

"I toooold you so" he replied with a comedic edge before he glanced to a silently sleeping man on a similar throne as his own, a small frown was then seen on his face when he realized his replied didn't reach the legendary devil tactician Falbium whom was sound asleep from god knows what

"Don't look so gloomy Sirzechs, he was asleep when he sat down an hour ago" replied the previous male, Sirzechs in return simply waved it off

"I should've expected it... What's your opinion Serafall?" asked Sirzechs while he glanced tiredly towards a female and petty looking devil whose hair was tied in pig tails; her attire was something of a flamboyant magic girl

"Hmm?" hummed the female Maou cutely before she snapped her fingers "It's good to see your sister has grown so largely in the tactic's field, I wasn't... No offense obviously, but I wasn't quiet expecting this much change in her style of leading in such a small time frame... any idea what could've pushed her?" she replied while looking to Sirzechs with a questioning set of eyes

"I'm haft guessing it's her opponent that falls into that category" replied the other awake male maou "it is determined that if she were to lose this battle her life would be relinquished to the third son of the House Phenex" unbeknownst to the two Sirzechs fists clenched tightly at the simple thought and his eyes darkened red but as fast as it arrived it vanished

"But by the looks of the games progress I'm guessing the under dogs have way more bite then the Phenex can handle, not more than 20 minutes and almost a quarter of Lord Riser's peerage is already eliminated while Your Sisters still remains intact... I can say for curtain that she has all of my confidence"

"As she has mine" replied Serafall, Sirzechs had no choice but to smirk

His very vague release of stress previously was most likely noticed by the two, and in return they responded both subtly and kindly in order to relinquish his doubts

Good friends indeed

"By the way Sirzechs, who's the new bishop and pawn?" asked the male

"not as linked to the new resurrections are you Ajuka?" replied the now smirking Sirzechs, the man known as Ajuka simple glanced to him with a simple look only close friends could have

"The Bishop is the newest addition to Rias' peerage; I believe she was the poor maiden that was caught in the events of the fallen angels just a few weeks ago and under unknown reasons, became my sisters bishop almost willingly" his answer to Ajuka's question sprung the attention of Serafall whom looked towards him seriously

"You mean the time the Paladin from the Vatican sprung up?" she said with narrowed eyes

"Yes, the exact event, I believe Rias' bishop might have some information about that ghost we are looking for but simply asking her know would be a horrible decision, I'll ask her when I get a subtle chance to" replied the red haired Maou

Serafall simply narrowed her eyes a little "that Paladin has been the cause of countless murders of our devil forces, mostly yours Sirzechs why hesitate in learning more about him?" she said, Sirzechs was inclined to believe that the reason Serafall looked so defensive was the fact not too long ago the deadliest Exorcist to walk the earth was in the exact same city as her dear sister Sona, any loving family member would be defensive with that knowledge

But it was apparent that she didn't know the full story on the man just yet, she did the digging for her sister when she learnt of his description but she didn't stick to the whole story as she is a maou and she knew one maou investigating enough

"The reason I stopped my pushing was due to the fact that The Paladin, had helped in exterminating the fallen angels in my sister's territory and he had actually conversed with my sister on two occasions" started Sirzechs "she had explained to me that he was the one to recommend a peaceful truce while he was in Rias' territory. Oh and get this, he even saved my sister's new pawn on multiple instances for reasons unspecified"

Ajuka looked skeptical but nodded slowly "from the gathered info on all of his victims, from the time of the death as well as the history of his targets I'd say he's only targeting those who do horrendous things, vampires, werewolves, windigos, are all fluently spotted on his list, some fallen and same devil... well, mostly devil actually they are the most common on his list of targets, aside from his apparent kindness to your sister he still needs to answer to his crimes"

"With that I still agree with, he has my thanks in keeping his hands off my sister but the hundred plus devil lives he's taken still weighs down on him and he will answer for it... sooner or later" from the sound of the Devil kings tone it was apparent the promise was a sincere one, Sirzechs felt iffy on taking action against the priest but whatever the hesitance tried saying to him was dropped entirely

Once the topic about the Paladin of the Vatican was finished Sirzechs sprang back to answer Ajuka

"Anyways, you were wanting to find out who the new pawn is didn't you?" started Sirzechs as he eyed Ajuka with a smirk, said maou identified a large pool of pride in the facial expression and expected a nice bomb to be dropped in the next line, a soft nod caused the devil king to continue

"Rias' new pawn is a surprising in large instances, not only did he recently get killed by the same head fallen angel from a few weeks ago but all because he had a sacred gear of legendary proportions... the boosted gear" of course Ajuka prepared for a bomb but it was still a shocker, the boosted gear had been lost to devil radar for centuries, obviously the previous owner had just recently passed or died and had remained off of the radar but to think the next wielder was right before him in the game nun the less had just caused Ajuka to find the game just a little bit more interesting, if his sudden shift in his seat was an indication Sirzechs didn't know but what he did know was that the look on his other friend Serafall was a look of envy

"No fair, your sister gets all the cute and power pieces" whined Serafall as Sirzechs nearly sweat dropped at her unintentional and inadvertent insult to her own sister's peerage

"Remember Serafall, they are still growing, there's no telling who's the strongest among them and only time will tell" replied the red headed devil but Serafall seemed to not have any of it, though she did like the reply it still stood out

"Still doesn't change the fact your sisters peerage looks like a highly training unit" she said with a 'humph'

Sirzechs sighed before he turned his head and studied the magic screen before him, not much was happening other than the stillness of Rias' Rook and Issei hyoudou whom seemed to remain absolutely still in the center of the gym, Sirzechs frowned as he studied the two closely, the two didn't so much as look to be breathing and remained almost robotically still, no shift in leg or anything not even a correcting in balance every once and awhile

A small shimmer and Sirzechs smirked slightly

"Cleaver girl"

The secret lobby where the four Satan's derived from dropped to silence when the other two minus Falbium dropped the topic and returned to spectating the rather interesting game before them

**-XxXxXxX-**

The fields around the tennis court were silent and still, the only thing moving was the artificial wind the alternate space produced to emulate 'wind' while the non excitant sun light produced more shadows to signify a change in time, very hard to notice but skilled eyes have benefits

The only other real movement was by a serious looking female with long wavy purple hair and matching eyes with one being covered by her hair, her attire looked of three categories; she wore a pale blue skirt with open sides with black shoes and matching colored thigh-highs with garter belts, the kinky side, oh and don't forget the massive exposure to her breasts, the next was of noble prestige as she had a navy tunic with black and gold accents following a variety of jewelry on her forehead and neck, and lastly she wore a white overcoat with small pauldrons of black and gold decent

And the third category is... wait? there isn't any other category, 'combat' maybe but she didn't really fit that well, the skirt was a danger and the constricting nature her tunic was she mostly likely 'pop' out if she so much as breathed to hard

Yubelluna, the Queen piece of Lord Riser was considered the most powerful among her peers and her reasoning on taking the field was simple

Eliminate the opposition with extreme prejudice, she was even given the green light to send kill shots if it was necessary

Riser had haft expected there to be a resistance of some kind but he didn't mention nor predict a damn near slaughter of his forces or most of them, all he had left was two pawns, a bishop, a rook and two knights and one bishop wasn't a fighter at all, just a spectator

With how quickly they had been cut in haft she doubted the one bishop or the two pawns stood even a remote chance to the surprising might the Gremory peerage possessed which was why she was ordered to take the field as a hunter killer unit then a second layer of defence for her king

The Phenex queen sighed deeply, she didn't like being far from her master as she felt inclined to remain by his side as his shield, he liked her loyalty but said she was needed out here then there as his forces were all but diminished of actual 'humph' and who to better fit that bill then the bomb queen herself.

Her first step was locating the Gremory knight, who's last appearance was the woods, she had scanned the woods for anything relatable to the devil energy from him before but she found nothing but the energy remnants of the three pawns that had gone into the forest, panic energy most likely Yubelluna thought as she narrowed her eyes and scanned the tree line for anything that moved

Finding nothing she dropped her shoulders and walked back to the mid way point of the opposing teams side, now all that remained to be inspected was the gymnasium

She couldn't be more aware of the obvious ambush inside

There was literally no other place best suited in hiding out a force of six devils and the gym was both big and strategic to fill both of those points, Yubelluna had haft a mind to just destroy the large construct but thought against the primal impulse to 'destroy the sand castle' and simply landed at the front entrance of the gyms doors

The Phenex Queen had fought in many rating games well before the others had filled the last remaining gaps in her masters 'legion' and as such she carried more of an open battle mind then the others, Xuelan had a mind of battle but lacked the actual brain capacity to use it fully

Hence her easy defeat by the hands of the Gremory team

She on the other hand had delved into the psychological aspect combat had to offer, lots of the battles she faced always carried out illusions and manipulative kings, it wasn't commonly spread among the devils but Riser had actually fought a strong devil prior to the other eight games, he won but at a large cost of almost all of his forces

She had been one of the many to fall at the hands of well placed traps and ambushes strategically placed in places to cripple their enemies, but then came the outcome

No matter how sloppy a victory would be her master always seemed to look far too closely to the victory then the lesson and would pay off the loser into silence just so his 'flawless' spree could continue

But no matter the case, Yubelluna didn't care what he had to do; all she wanted was to see him happy in the end even if it was with her body or her actions she didn't care

Lord Riser always came first, no exceptions

Dousing her motives down to face the obvious ambushes, Yubelluna prepared herself for the attack and carried on into the gyms interior

Upon first sight the Phenex queen was prepared for many situations and scenario's, a magic barrage, a magic seal beneath her feet to freeze her in place or a glimpse of the enemy kings back to spike a sudden instinct to leap forward and answer the open opportunity but ultimately get blindsided by the _real _king

However this wasn't the case

Instead of the previous past situations she had found herself in, in the past she didn't expect to see both the white haired rook and pawn to be standing before her, absolutely still with confident smirks on their faces

"I was wondering when she'd show up" quipped the Gremory pawn with a shrug of his shoulders, Yubelluna narrowed her eyes when her suspicion was correct on them expecting her to arrive and answered accordingly

With a wave of her antic magic staff she forced a purple magic circle to appear under their feet, a second later and it detonated into a violent torrent similar to a high caliber howitzer round

_**BOOOOOOM!**_

It was funny really; one insult and she practically vaporized her opponent for having the balls to stand in the open for easy targeting, and mock her which added motivation

Yubelluna wasn't exactly sure what that pawn was thinking but the easy elimination was a sweat satisfaction indeed

...

For a moment the Phenex queen remained silent while she waited for the announcement of elimination but she started to sweat a little when a five second time frame passed multiple times, the time in between the defeat and the announcement was very small and the time she spent waiting had screamed to her that her targets were still very much alive... maybe wounded but she didn't know for sure as the massive plume of smoke created by the explosion blocked most of her view of the windows and the exit

'_Great, now what?' _thought the Phenex queen as she calmly scanner her surroundings, careful of any danger she started towards the area she remembered the two Gremory pieces were previously standing

_**CRASH!**_

A sound of crumbling wood and dry wall startled Yubelluna for a nano second due to her accelerated senses but ignored it before she stopped at a large crater in the center of the gym floor, the crater was larger than 20 feet in diameter and the hole was deep enough to make a nice scuba diving pool, loose dirt and polished wood fell into the hole that also had water pipes destroyed and leaking out normal water

When they said it was a direct replica they didn't lie about it

"Humph, how on earth did they survive that?" she asked to herself quietly

"I'm sure their fine" started a voice, a male voice

Thinking on her feet the Phenex queen rounded to her rear to see if the voice was behind her yet she saw nothing but the light brown dust from her previous attack clouding her vision

For a second she regretted her brash actions, she had unintentionally created a smoke screen for the obvious assault team before her and she had no way of spotting her enemies, all she could do was stretch out her senses and feel out her enemies devil energy but that wasn't as reliable as it sounded

It worked as a sonar pulse, Yubelluna did in fact sense a signature but the 'echo' of it was all she found and it was feint in a sense meaning it was moving fast, if she so much as wanted to catch a glimpse of the target then she'd need to compensate distance travel and speed but in a spot like this it was a horrible choice to basically 'stop and do the math'

To make matters worse, she wasn't moving so this was a danger as well, it was a miracle that she wasn't a punching bag by now and her hesitance in moving was due to the fact it may exactly be what the person wanted to do

Turning the gears in her head she distinguish the possible enemy she was fighting, the voice was male so that dropped the possible enemies down to two possible suspects, the speed was comparable to a knights so she believed it to be the Gremory knight Kiba Yuuto but he was last known to be in the woods a few yards from here and closing that distance from there to here would threaten exposure and she had been watching that space the whole time, Kiba was fast but not fast enough to out run her sight

It was final that she was facing the new pawn, Issei Hyoudou. A strange decision on Rias' part but recent eliminations listed him the one who retook the gym alongside Gremory's rook Koneko Toujou, they had retook the gym almost flawlessly and with little effort, sure Nel and her twin sister lle were good duo's but she had witnessed the pawns strength and she had no doubt the pawn had grown some since last time

She may not really care on the matter but she knew full well that Mira's small victory in establishing dominance for her master back at the meeting was a handed down win as the pawn that wish to responded to the challenge experienced a set back with his new powers, almost like a over dose of something she didn't know but a lack of training could answer that but now the pawn had said training

Weather she liked it or not Yubelluna was facing a possessor of a Longinus sacred gear with a weeklong training under his belt, as small as a training he got it still spelt trouble and preparations were in serious order

Swiping her staff in close in proximity to her, Yubelluna set a few small concussion bombs set in all around her, if the pawn got so much as three feet in front of her then the bombs would detonate outward towards him, the shrapnel and fire would hurt him immensely

"Show yourself pawn of Gremory! I know your here!" yelled the Phenex Queen seriously

"Cute... but I'll pass" replied Issei from within the dying cloud of smoke, due to the long time that had passed the massive cloud was dying down and Yubelluna could now see the small beams of light showing through the windows and now shadows could be distinguish, knowing this was the case the Phenex queen started to scan the area again with her eyes and spotted a single shadow in a shape similar to a person standing a few feet away from the stage behind her

Acting on her training she lessoned the power behind her bombs so to cause less smoke and sent two towards the shadow and detonated them the instant they were stable

_**BOOOM! BOOOM!**_

She had tried her best but no matter the case the gyms interior was extremely dusty and any sudden movement seemed to lift a plume of dust and with her sudden bombs detonating caused the rear of the gym to explode into another large cloud of dust which spread evenly in the gym

Yubelluna growled deeply at the sight

"So you're using dirty tricks to win!?" yelled Yubelluna "is that it!?"

There was a pause before Issei answered "Are-are you serious right now? You're whining? I find it hard to believe king douches lap queen actually whines a lot... did big ol chicken wing not punish you enough before the game?" Issei couldn't help but throw in a mocking tone; her choice of words was just so cringe worthy

There was really no answer to be heard, Issei could sense the massive explosion of anger flow out of the Phenex queen in droves and he knew then he had her where he wanted her now he just needed to stall

"Like seriously? Your contingency to being cornered is to whine about the morality of my strategy? 'Oh it's too dirty' 'oh my I can't figure my way around it can you make it easier for me please'" mocked Issei as he emulated a Childs whining voice "Again, I find it hard that a senior rating game player like you is actually whining right now, like tough shit princess.. not all of your victories will be as easy as you think and not all confrontations will be dramatic showdowns seen in B-rated movies" after he finished his little rant issei stayed still and concealed all of his devil energy before waiting for any kind of reaction

Mostly a violent one actually

"Y-you.. You, YOU DARE MOCK ME!" screamed the now furies Phenex queen who raised her staff up in anger

"There's that 'you dare' line again" muttered Issei

Now the once calm and rational Yubelluna was replaced with an angry and raging women who was scorned so irritably by a person she considered an insect and now the subtle approach was done, destruction was all that remained

Without a care in the world the Phenex queen began to send bomb after bomb in every direction, violent torrents of explosions and concussive waves jutted out violently and all of the gyms walls and roof were paying the price

_**BOOOM! CRASH!**_

_**BOOM! CRASH!**_

_**BOOOOOOM! CRASH!**_

Explosions of different sizes tore the gyms walls and roof to Swiss cheese and only so many remained standing, after the violent outrage ended Yubelluna was seen standing in the precipice of the cataclysm an angered but calming expression on her dangerously narrowed eyes, her hair was fizzled due to the smokes effects and she was outlined barely by sweat at her massive energy depleting at an alarming rate, placing her hand on her face the Phenex queen swore under her breath at being tricked in releasing her anger unprofessionally, it was a easy trick to get a under hand on their opponents but the fact she was still standing says she got extremely lucky and may have forced the after ambush to retreat with her excess bombs

*cough* *cough*

Snapping her head in the direction of the coughing the Queen of the house of Phenex smirked even more when she spotted the pawn that had tricked her laying a few feet from a crater, bloody and broken

"*cough*.. damn it.. *cough*.. All" he wheezed as he lay there

She may have been un-professional before but she forgot that and strutted over towards the downed pawn slowly, she wanted to make him hurt a little bit before she finished the so called Longinus wielder off

"Here you lay, pawn of Gremory" started the mocking Yubelluna as she stopped a few feet from the pawns still form "I don't know why I didn't think of it before but destroying that gym would've worked out better for me from the beginning" she finished with an arrogant smirk

Issei simply smirked defiantly "guess we all learn new things every day" he muttered, in response to the pawns laid back response the purple haired queen slammed her heeled foot into his stomach with the force of a rook which caused the ground underneath him to shatter

"GAAHH!" gargled Issei as he widened his eyes

"Your plan was to use my bomb magic as a fuel to a smoke screen wasn't it?" she asked angrily, the previous emotions slowly rising at the pawns small smirk

"Yup... Pretty easy to notice huh?" he replied

"I'll admit you had me for a moment but it didn't last long" Yubelluna carried on her arrogant tone as Issei simply nodded

"I'm surprised though, for a pawn to move that fast with so little devil energy is surprising... how'd you managed that is the question" Issei felt this was gonna take a while for her to figure _it _out

"I'm still wondering that myself... see I'm only able to move at blinding speeds _when _I use my sacred gears gift which also uses my devil energy in addition to its effect" he replied hinting at something Yubelluna didn't catch

"And for some reason you managed it without using any of it, how?" she may be on the path but she was detouring too much and seemed too interested in his abilities then what she should be worrying about

"I don't know, seems a move like that would require more of a... outside source" the seed had been planted weather she noticed it or not

Yubelluna froze for a moment when the pawns sentence finished and it seemed the frozen disposition of her expression had been noticed by the pawn as well

"Guess this is a 'check' then huh?" asked the pawn with a wide smirk "think fast bitch!"

The Phenex queen widened her eyes were she felt a massive rise in devil energy in the sky a few yards from her, looking towards the source Yubelluna spotted the Gremory queen Akeno floating in the air with one hand raised high and yellow thunder arcing around her raised hand

Snapping her head back to the pawn The Phenex queen Yubelluna widened her eyes when the image of the pawn that lay a few inches from her shimmered then shattered and a red crystal fell from where the 'body' once was

'Check' indeed

_-Flashback/ Two days before the rating game-_

_The day had come to an end sometime ago as the weeks training had sunk in at record time and the decision on slowing down the intenseness of the training was the best decision Rias could choose, she didn't want to over work her peerage as going into battle sore and tired was a 'No no' so all that remained was system briefings on their opponents_

_The House of Phenex and its peerage of 'unbeatable' pieces_

_She had already organized the traits of all of Risers pieces and their personalities, the biggest topic was their arrogance_

_The last subject was a key point in achieve this 'impossible' goal_

_Rias had already acknowledged her peerage and Riser's similarities if they even remotely existed but she had come to the conclusion that her pieces were best suited in large scale incursions, Kiba was a sharp needle when it came to making pin point strikes at high speed and his sword skills were a high danger to a lot of people... he'd be fine against the pawns, knights and maybe a single rook, she didn't want to overestimate him until she knew were his skills sat_

_Koneko was a brute and a direct representation of the famous quote 'big things come in small packages' but it sounded more like 'hard hitting things usually come in a small but powerful fists' but whatever the case she was tank in every right of the word, she could walk on the pawns of Risers and go head to head with a knight and rook if she was 'in the zone' not to mention she was fast for a Rook... bishops were no trouble at all_

_One bishop was Riser's sister, Ravel Phenex, and Rias stated at one of the meetings and specifically said she was __not__ a fighter, but a spectator... she was a zero degree threat and more like a civilian in better terms_

_Her queen could last against any piece hands down, there wasn't even a need in specifying on why or how as it was just a thing everyone agreed on and Asia was a simple healer who was listed as a non fighter and would remain that way_

_With all of this known to them Rias conducted a variety of plans against Riser's forces, she didn't know anything of the arena they'd be in but she ruled out that as a later topic when they were actually in the shit but what she was focusing more on was the confrontations she'd want to have happen, if she was lucky then issei would face more pawns and Rooks then a knight, he had no sword skills nor any training in disarming a highly mobile sword unit and thus would be a simple pylon to them all with his 'dragon skin' ability, his only chance of standing a chance would be his speed but with that ability he'd have Koneko's jogging speed at best which wasn't a desirable choice_

_Koneko and Kiba would handle the knights _

_Rias had smiled at her chances when it came down to her forces versus Risers but there was one person who could disrupt that entirely _

"_Yubelluna is Risers queen and is recognized as his strongest piece in his peerage" started Rias as she laid down pictures of Risers queen "his Rooks may have real training but she has a powerful devil magic known as 'demon bomb'" _

"_Her status and reputation acknowledge that she would be a horrible opponent to face alone more so for you three then us two" Akeno finished by pointed her fingers to Kiba, issei, and Koneko_

_Rias nodded "if we want to face Riser unhindered and without worry of a second party then were golden with her eliminated as soon as we spot her" after finishing she sighed "but I'd rather take her out without a real confrontation, facing her as a team would be a good choice but even that is dangerous"_

_At this Issei raised his hand_

"_What is it issei?" asked Rias_

"_If I may Buchou but I could recommend a strategy in taking her out without facing her with all bravado" spoke the serious issei_

"_Show me what you have in mind"_

_Nodding he started his plan "ok so we all have read her biography right?" he started and everyone nodded "ok so it says she has a calm exterior but when it comes down to it she can get angry... like, really angry"_

_Rias nodded to confirm "yes, she has a temper... are you meaning to exploit it?" _

_This time Issei nodded_

"_I find it dangerous to anger her, wouldn't it be smarter to keep her calm?" asked Kiba while he skimmed over the copy of the Phenex queens biography_

"_Yes it seems that way and I'd rather not scorn a woman, but if you think about it, it could also force her to use more devil energy then necessary and it could weaken her for an attack" Issei's words sprouted idea's but Rias asked first_

"_What kind of an attack?" _

_Issei smirked before pointing to Akeno "why don't you ask Miss Railgun here" _

_Rias smiled when she spotted Issei's intentions but frowned a second after_

"_The question is however, who would be the one to piss of Queen Harlot?" this time Koneko came in and simply placed a red Crystal on the round table they were at_

"_Physical embodiment illusion ore" muttered Rias as she picked up the pinky sized crystal_

"_This place isn't all resort.. It has its bones in the basement and a few devil ritual books and alchemy ingredients as well... I managed to find some of those lying around down there and found some use of it" replied Akeno _

"_Physical embodiment Illusion ore's absorbs the devil energy or whatever energy it touches and creates a perfect duplicate of the one who infused his energy into it" explained Rias as she clenched her hand around it, now with a clear smile of confidence etched on her face "So... who wants to be the one to piss of Risers bed buddy?" _

_In that instant everyone turned their heads towards issei and stared_

"_What? Me?... Why me?" he asked sheepishly_

"_Annoying" stated Koneko blandly while Kiba smiled and nodded, Akeno giggled while Rias hid a smirk under her hand_

_Issei dropped his shoulders "you guys suck sometimes"_

_The briefing room was filled with laughter a moment later_

_-Flash back end-_

The sky within the alternate space was silent for a moment, all was calm while a bolt of violent yellow lightning struck from the sky and down on a wide eyed Queen, a moment later... and the sound finally registered

_**CRASSSSSSSHHHH BOOOOOOOOOM!**_

The velocity lightning creates is usually unreadable as the speed it travels is too fast for anything to get a bead on without getting a taste of what it's selling and even that is hard to time, Akeno had spent a better portion of the training on conquering limitations she herself had given her and due to the sheer confidence the crimson week had helped in achieving that goal

And thus

Her lightning became something close to a Railgun, only requiring a 2 second charge time and a large dose of devil energy she'd drop a can of whoop ass on you with enough force to level two square blocks... almost like a V72 tactical warhead downgraded for property damage reduction... but that's an iffy subject

Excluding the radiation a warhead could leave behind Akeno's 'lightning nuke' – as Issei named it oh so painfully – left a field of unstable demonic electricity, primal in nature to the devils ancestors it left a deadly aura of electricity similar to the humans nuclear warheads but it was much easier to notice then radiation

Akeno had dropped her raised arm and began to pant deeply at the sudden loss of devil energy, the attack may pack a wallop but it cost her a whole lot of stamina to use, it was a one hit wonder and it was gonna be that way for a long time

Collecting herself and her breath the Gremory queen glanced back to where Riser's queen was and was glad to see she was just as worse if not _even _worse than her, sporting a variety of burns of multiple degree's Yubelluna's once flawless skin was now charred at some locations and others looked to have been fused to the melted polyester some of her clothing was made out of, the only way to remove a burn wound like that was to simply cut the chunk of skin off with the melted fabric and with the sheer amount of polyester melted into her skin the process of doing so here would more than likely kill her

"Dan...m... damn... you" jittered/wheezed Yubelluna, the hyper heating the lightning had caused didn't just microwave the women's clothes but it had also caused an electrical surge due to the metal jewelry she had on her head and neck, Yubelluna's wheezing was due to her throat almost locked in a clenched state and her head was probably splitting at have a rough estimate of a few thousand watts of energy surge through her skull at mock speed

She's lucky the rook aspect in the queen piece had help her avoid her brains from leaking out of her head due to liquidation... all in all, overkill was a small fraction of what Akeno had done to the poor women below her

She almost felt sorry for her... almost

Forgetting her fatigue Akeno replied "heheh, my pleasure... ~that pain must be wonderful~" it was as Issei said 'your pain, is her game'

Glaring one last time at the smiling priestess of thunder Yubelluna began to fade into white light as the wounds inflicted began to become too critical to be left unattended, a second later and her full form was engulfed and escorted to emergency surgery for extreme healing

She'd be fine physically... but psychologically was a different story; never had she expected to be forted, again, by an illusion spell and being so quickly defeated was a insult to injury on a scale she couldn't fathom

All she could do now was hope for her master's victory

"_**Lord Risers Queen... Retires"**_

**-XxXxXxX-**

From within the confines of the real student council room the three females stood in silence, Grayfia had just finished the announcement but the other two being Tsubaki and Sona could finally see the sheer level of surprise on the gray haired women's face... visually it was hard to distinguish but Sona had a good history in reading emotions and Grayfia's wasn't off her list

"That was... surprising" muttered Tsubaki in shock

Sona snapped her expression from total shock to stoic in a matter of seconds before she addressed her queen "Surprising is a lack of emphasis on what Rias' peerage had just achieved... and they made it look easy" she replied

Tsubaki had nodded in agreement to her kings words, it couldn't be worded even more then what was already known to all, Riser was a popular rating game contender in the current generation major leagues and his status was a impressive one to say the least, out of the nine games he's played only one of them was a defeat, although 'defeat' was a light term as to what it really was

But aside from the apparent 'defeat' Riser was shown to be a formidable force and his flawless sweeps weren't just for show but a sign of his real strength and to see his second strongest eliminated by only two pieces was a grave shock to all... it was hard to count the amount of jaws on the floor in the viewing rooms...

Not to mention the Satan's rooms as well

"Just what other surprises do you tend to show...? Rias" mutter Sona as she leaned forward in complete interest into the games events

**-XxXxXxX-**

The Phenex may not have acknowledged it yet but Sona knew that Rias and her peerage had just risen from 'Underdog' to 'contender' in a single bolt of lightning, if there were bets on the Gremory's defeat, which she knew there were, then after that light show Sona was curtain the easy pay check was suddenly less guaranteed to those opposing the red haired families victory

All across the spectators observation rooms devil families varying in status were left in total silence and awe at the complete trickery the Gremory's had used to literally blow away their second most dangerous opponent... AND THEY MADE IT LOOK EASY

No one spoke, at the beginning of the game they had believed this was a simple cake walk for the Phenex houses third son but now... now it was different

**-XxXxXxX-**

"_**Lord Riser's queen... retires"**_

Rias could not have felt more joy at hearing those words, not a second ago did her second in command and best friend completely eliminate their first priority, Yubelluna, the after math of the explosive detonation from the practical Railgun left a permanent mark in the gyms place and even still, small arcs of yellow electricity remained seen

She was sure the standby medical teams recommended pulling her out before she turned into a vegetable from all of that energy exposure

But aside from her opponent's health and status Rias was smiling both like an idiot and one filled with pride, this was a plan not just made by her own schemes but by her peerages combined efforts in forging this breakthrough, it started by Issei who collected the bones of the plan, then Kiba who planted the nerves and motives, then Akeno and Koneko laid down the muscle both figuratively and literally and finally Issei was the final layer to the plans complete body

She may have been the spine controlling and directing but her pieces did most of the work

"_**Rias, target A is neutralized and we are moving to point beta now" **_Akeno's calm yet militaristic tone reverberated within the ears of Asia and Rias

Acknowledging the information Rias instinctually nodded before replying "good work Akeno, we are moving to the rendezvous point now as well, and... don't be late" the last jesting tone was left hanging as any further conversing was redundant at the moment but Rias knew Akeno heard it

Dropping her hand from her ear Rias glanced back to her _second _bishop and nodded to her, who in return flinched sheepishly before nodding as well

Before they started their long distance travel Rias spotted a look of nervousness on her bishop's features, a second later and her kind hearted Gremory side kicked in to comfort overdrive

"Your nervous Asia, I can understand that but let me be clear, under no circumstances will be injured on my watch..." started Rias as Asia shockingly blinked at the females words "they say a kings roll is to be caring but also ruthless in goals to conquest, be it merciless abandon or the sacrifice of others, however... I refuse to be like that" Asia watched on as Rias' convicted tone filled the confines of the ORC room, Rias hadn't looked at her but instead glared down at the floor instead

Now Asia knew she wasn't that sharpest tool in the shed when it came to modern day common sense but when it came to being understanding of the actions and words of others she was by far the most informed person within the ORC, Rias may be a women whom cared royalty but she had a lack in the understanding department, sure she had a basic understanding of situational problems others may be in but reading or believing someone wasn't her strongest suit... her conversation with her old friend was enough of an example

Right now Asia knew the words Rias had spoken were true gut feelings not normally expressed through words but actions, and reorganizing her previous words told her that she was not a 'sideline player' and would rather take an arrow to the knee then stand idle in a fight, as much as she despised fighting Asia smiled brightly at Rias' ideals

"Thank you for your words, but I'm more nervous for the others than myself at the moment" replied Asia as she followed Rias out the rear door, as they moved Rias downloaded the words of the former holy maiden

During the entirety of the crimson week Rias had conversed with everyone apart of her peerage/team Asia being a more common one due to her being excluded from the grueling training and Rias could rightly fully say without a doubt in her mind that Asia was extremely kind

It seemed almost painful to take advantage of her kindness and the mere thought forced a sudden instinct to cringe to her very core, every wound she healed without order, every request was done to the letter. To say she was kind was by every definition... an understatement

Rias had thought back to why she seemed so against Isaac's choice in letting Asia stay or rather her choice to stay and classified her past self as an ignorant fool needing of a wakeup call

'_Not to self, always listen to wise, sketchy, mysterious strangers when possible' _it was more a comedic thought then a promise but most of it was true, weather she liked it or not, she was glad the paladin of the Vatican was the strange unorthodox man he was or else she may not have had Asia as her awesome bishop

Shaking her head Rias dropped the fleeting memory before she found herself liking that priest. Continuing to the rendezvous point alongside Asia, Rias forgot all other thought before she started to refocus on forging any necessary back up plans

They were at the finally push now and her game face was needed

**-With issei and co. at point beta-**

"_**Alright Kiba, this is your OP, I'm off to the vantage point you requested" **_Akeno's voice over the magic comm's channel was static filled and the sound of rushing air could be heard meaning she was on the move

Kiba nodded before placing his hand on his right ear "Alright, provide air support on any signal you see" reminded Kiba whom got a small hum in reply

Once he was sure the message was clear he glanced back to the other two with him "I'm sure you know what your roll is in this issei?" asked the blonde male

From along the shed wall that which they were hiding in Issei clicked his tongue before replying "avoid the knights cause they'll kick my ass, avoid the rook or rather leave her alone more or less and take out the remaining pawns and single out the one bishop, Ravel Phenex is to remain standing... shaking but standing" reviewed Issei whom seemed slightly irritated

"I know you want to test you power against strong opponents Issei, believe me I do as well but Rias gave us our list of targets not to insult your growth but more towards success ability, and don't forget... we all have _him _to take down when were down with the small fry, no cake wake there" Issei listened carefully as Kiba went on with the rest of the plan with Koneko whom seemed eager more than her emotions would let her hide

All the while Issei thought on Kiba's words, It was true he had no other wise to then to test his might, it's what every growing warrior wished upon anything else and a battle craving was long since growing in Issei's gut, he didn't know if that was the dragon aspect in him or just a natural ambition but fighting and growing was the only thing that interested him

Then came the situation at hand, it only took that little explanation to gather Issei from his battle lusting thoughts back towards the objective, his target was the pawns due to the sheer difference in power, sure in the eyes of other devils, matchmaking a fight between a power opponent against a weaker one was cowardly but then you'd have to question the rating game it's self as its maybe the biggest example of what Issei was getting at

What Rias was doing was matchmaking every possible encounter to her favor, Yubelluna was chink in the plan armor cause her dangerous presents could disrupt everything planned with a single bomb but since she was taken out left all of the game in Rias' hands

If Riser took to the field (which was highly unlikely) then it'd be a different story but so far there hasn't been a sign of him at all, so that meant Rias could or more specifically, her peerage could choose who to take on, Kiba was most likely going to take on both of the knights, may seem scary in theory but if one had complete knowledge of his opponents tactics then it'd be a walk in the park

Like he said before _'every battle is won before it's even fought'_

Its simple combat common sense, the more you know the more of a chance you have and it showed blatantly here as Riser's peerage had done little but arrogantly convince themselves they had this in the bag... look where that thought has taken them

With the majority of his forces down as well as his queen, Riser was pretty much wide open

"This is Kiba, we are commencing the attack as of now, Akeno prepare air support, buchou stay back until we have cleared out the offensive line" Kiba for a moment sounded like a man then a pretty boy Issei thought with a smile before he Spartan kicked the shed door open

When the small squad was on their way towards the shed they had little doubt that the remaining devils of the Phenex peerage were in close proximity and it was a sheer miracle they weren't in a brawl as of now, the Gremory peerage haft expected it to be the case of a retreat of possibly they were to shocked at having their queen removed so easily left them immobile for a select amount of time

Whatever the case it helped them regroup, the magic expended on keeping the illusion ore live was a small taxing price to Issei but since his time in the last weeks training he had, as well as everyone else, develop a keen ability to collecting lost energy in a small time frame, the time to breathe in the shed was good enough to bring Issei's devil energy back to after his encounter with the rook Xuelan and that meant he was primed and ready to take out two pawns and a bishop

Now that they had practically announced their presents it was all up to the remaining few on Risers side to answer the un-worded call

Didn't take long

From behind a pillar close to the west-wing entrance came a light brown haired female, from the time in training Issei as well as the others knew full well that assessing your opponents choice of outfit usually opens a few possible skill sets the person may or may not be choosing to follow, and upon remembering that the decided choice in attire leaned more towards durability and flexibility. And lastly, her physical description matched to that of a knight in Risers peerage known as Karlamine

Further thought on it revealed that she was the fastest knight in Risers peerage, her choice of weaponry was a sword, infused with flames obviously, and a danger... which was also infused with flames, though it wasn't visible he did however know she had it on her as in her rating game history she was seen using it as back up from time to time

"My name is Karlamine, a knight in service to the house of Phenex, to whom am I challenging?" Issei didn't know why the knights in devil peerages always seemed to use 18th century dialect but he digressed to just simply letting them have some kind of shtick to walk with

From beside Him Kiba walked out to greet the knight in a similar chivalrous manner but before that Issei caught a whisper of an order

"_Eyes on the prize Issei" _said the knight quietly while looking off towards the tree line to the immediate Right

Following his sight Issei spotted five new arrivals, one women seemed to 'biker' to be considered public worthy while another looked to be dragging something close to a winter blanket on her with various oriental designs on its exterior, two looked to be identical cat girls wearing the classic sailor girl outfit some schools use and another women was wearing a Chinese cheongsam along with a massive sword sheathed on her back, it was the last knight most likely, Siris was her name and she was slow when it came to being a knight and Issei knew why exactly

And lastly was Ravel Phenex, whom was wearing the dressiest attire for a fight

Didn't really take a genius to tell who carried herself higher than the others; would it be the ones exhibiting killing intent? Or would it be the one exhibiting a snobbish attitude?

You get three guesses...

"Geez, right when I find a cute boy, he turns out to be a sword freak just like Karlamine, its always swords, swords, swords, I can't find an end to it!" ranted on the little sideliner. Only haft of her words was picked up by the duo as they were too busy distinguishing who took out who in the next couple seconds, Karlamine and Kiba had long since distanced themselves from the group so to engage in their battle which was bad as Kiba was listed to take out the other Knight as well

Then again they never really expected to get a perfect match selection and by Kiba's trouble expression suggested he was fully aware of the hiccup, things were stretching out but not thinning in their chances, they still had an ace up their sleeve if things grew too out of hand

Lifting his hand to his magic comm's link Issei reported the change _"Issei in reporting a change to the plan, we are close to engaging the next targets but Kiba has been separated from his second target, Akeno, can you focus your attention on the knight to my 11 o'clock?"_

A second passed by due to Akeno's repositioning to the makeshift adaption to Kiba's plan _**"I'm in position Issei, I'll fire on your mark"**_

"_Only if necessary Akeno"_ pausing for a second Issei glanced down to the patient Koneko a few feet to his left and nodded before glancing his gaze to Siris' direction so to hint Koneko's newer target, it took the little rook a second before she nodded in return _"Koneko will_ _see if she can deal with her without expending to much of your devil energy" _

"_**Alright, but I'll remain on standby, Koneko if you need me simple signal for support" **_when Akeno finished the two refocused to the still ranting ravel Phenex, she started one about cute boys and some of their disappointing features but now it landed on why Issei looked they way he looked

"... I mean seriously, lady Rias has no taste in boys" after she finished her little jab a silence fell on the group as Issei remained surprisingly impassive to the blatant insult to his physical appearance

He remained silent for a moment before replying "Rias has no taste in boys you say?" he questioned which confused Ravel for a moment before she, with more clarification, confirmed her previous statements meaning

"That's what I said ya big dummy, if she had any taste at all she wouldn't have chosen you to take all of her pawn pieces" she said with condescendence raining from her mouth

Raising his eye brow in confusion Issei quickly smirked and chuckled before he replied

"I can see clearly why you have yet to even be given a peerage at all Ravel Phenex" replied the impassive Issei, at hearing her name called out so calmly caused the little bishop to reel back in shock not just because of its blatant nature but because he knew who she was

Narrowing her eyes at the implication of his words she retorted in an angered manner "and what's that suppose to mean"

"Well it wouldn't be much of a fighting force with that mindset you have there, using physical appearance as a base to gain pieces seems rather wasteful if you ask me... unless you're going to start a model institute then I can't argue with that choice" as he continued Ravels cheeks blushed even more at being called out and embarrassed, his choice of wording a retort completely picked apart her choice of words and even put her on the spot on a iffy topic not suited for her age

"Y-you y-you pervert! ...what makes you think I'd start that kind of thing?"

"I don't know, why don't you ask yourself, you were just basing physical appearance in relation to poor judgment a second ago weren't you?" replied Issei calmly as he scratched his cheek simply

The others looked on in silent confusion as Risers other peerage members stood idle in their positions a few feet from Ravel as the poor little girl got redder and redder at Issei's counter argument and double insinuations

Chuckling at the girls expense issei finalized his scolding "aside from your unorthodox ideals and rather perverted goals ravel" Issei paused when ravel growled at him before he continued "my masters choice in resurrecting me was not because I was in her preference 'hot' but rather because I have something far too important to leave it where it lay, so my masters taste in men still remains unknown to me, and my being here has nothing to do with that" finally Issei finished and by this point it seemed his plan

Had worked

"_**One of lord Risers knights... Retired"**_

?!

Almost every one present minus the Gremory duo snapped their heads towards Karlamine's direction only to see her form fading into white particles, various splatters of blood and ice could be seen in their vicinity and two weapon handles were also seen lying on ground just before they to vanished in white energy

"I'm surprised that worked so well" started Issei as he turned and looked at where Kiba stood, placing his hands on his hips Issei smirked at Kiba before raising a thumbs up towards him

"T-that was your goal wasn't it?" growled Ravel as the implications of their previous conversation faded in favor of her growing anger at being fooled so easily or rather all of them being fooled so easily

"Find a topic and roll with it? Yes, that shot at my master as well as to myself wasn't at all hurtful and seemed rather pointless to focus on... a good distraction and stall if I do say so myself" with a wink Issei snapped the trigger in two halves and now Risers little field commander was pissed

"Taken them out... TAKE THEM OUT NOW!" Issei fought the urge to grab his ears at the loud commanding shriek Ravel had used

All in one go did the remaining few pieces in Risers peerage snap to attack, the biker chick which was most likely the last remaining rook sprung from her spot towards Issei whom jolted his body to the side so to avoid the berserker charge which caused the rook to run smack dab into Koneko's oncoming right leg

Thinking on her feet Isabela dropped from her run and into a dolphin dive so to avoid the dangerous kick from her new opponent

"Your opponent is me, not him" said Koneko stoically before back flipping towards the downed rook whom quickly rolled from her downed position and re-primed her stance a second after her recovery, watching the rook mid flight Isabela plotted her counter attack

Seeing as though the white haired rook was suspended mid flight and open for an easy strike Isabela planed her attack but froze when the pawn before jumped up and grabbed her before she could actually commence her attack

Landing a few feet from the rook Issei dropped Koneko off fluidly before he rounded around and gunned it towards the bishop to the right of ravel Phenex, before the Gremory pawn could reach the open bishop Issei had to roll to the side to avoid a massive Zweihänder sword that would have sliced him in haft had he not dodged

'_damn, looks like I will need to take her out' _thought Issei as he primed himself ready to battle a superior foe in the speed category but his thoughts dropped when Kiba came careening in towards the sword wielding women

"Sorry I'm late, last one was a handful" called out Kiba as he slammed his sword into the knight's larger one

'_Never mind then' _started Issei via his thoughts"yeah thanks Kiba!" yelled Issei sounding slightly sarcastic, Kiba smirked at the tone before he refocused on the women before him

Turning his sights from Kiba Issei locked his sights on the immediate threat that being the twin cat girl pawns heading straight at him with speed that matched a cat

'_where the hell does that douche find these girls' _flexing his muscles for the imminent workout issei smirked before dropping into a normal fighting stance, one fist close to chest while the other outstretched with a minor bend

As the two closed in Issei shifted his stance to the opposite side before he engaged the pawns in a handicap scenario

**-With Koneko-**

Koneko dodged a right hook before she hopped back to avoid a left side follow up, the rook she was facing focused more on boxer type fighting then regular styled MMA fighting like what Koneko specialized in but that didn't mean it was a trouble

Currently all she had done was land a small bruise to the Phenex rooks kidney but after that the girls guard was high after the first initial hit and now Koneko found it hard to get into the guard without becoming a punching bag, that was all

Dodging the strikes was no problem as an MMA fighter focuses not just on their opponents fists but legs as well, sure a boxer type does as well but only to determine which side their opponent is strongest on, if they focused their weight on their right side then the right side was the strongest and vice versa

However a MMA styled fighter doesn't just watch their opponents legs for that sole purpose, they watched out for leg grabs or the possible high kick or one to the shin, a boxer doesn't need to worry much about the legs as much because they don't inflict the damage in a boxing match but Koneko's senses were far more heightened then Isabella's due to the exact reason on them being a threat

If the boxer type before her so much as chose to risk a kick then she'd do her in before she'd regret her gamble

"You're a nimble one aren't you?" started Isabella as she continued her assault

Koneko narrowed her eyes at an opening the rook had accidentally opened with the mistake of talking and pounced by allowing a straight left pass her side before she grabbed it with her right arm and locked it under her right armpit, with the lock in place Isabella widened her eyes when she felt two powerful jabs impact her stomach and ribs before Koneko reach with her left hand and grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her towards the left of her

Flexing her legs Koneko add a leg trip with the grapple toss which caused the rook to painfully face dive to the ground behind her

"Gah" coughed Isabella, the hits to her stomach and opposite kidney began to take their toll as Isabella's breathing sounded haggard and pained. A rooks punching force always measure in size but that could differ, with the force behind Koneko's punches Isabella suspected she may have small internal damage

Koneko remained silent as she stayed in position a few feet from the downed rook, Isabella made two mistakes in the last minute, the first was talking and the second one was letting your guard down mid fight

In Rias' words as well as a few other masters she had TALKING IN A FIGHT WAS AND STILL IS THE WORST POSSIBLE CHOICE A FIGHTER COULD MAKE

Out of all the scenario's or openings Koneko thought the next opening would be the fatigue on her opponent but talking was the last guess in her mind, but now that she thought of it she was glad her opponent made that mistake, it would save a large sum of time in waiting for the women to tire but now that she had two bruised kidneys and a hemorrhaging diaphragm her stamina was cut in haft and hopefully her anger was reached as well

"Damn... it, you really are dirty" called Isabella

Remaining as stoic as before she replied "it's a fight, now get up" commanded the petty rook threateningly while replacing her previous stance with a new one

Without replying the two recommenced their bout but with much more intensity then before and after learning her lesson Isabella remained silent and refrained from commenting on Koneko's brutal fighting style

**-With Kiba-**

Kiba had to admit, from the start of the game he least expected a challenge from the second knight apart of Risers peerage but now he actually regretted thinking so arrogantly, statistic wise he outclassed her in speed and strategy but in sword skill it was a match of the week

From the start he made the most nimble and flexible blades possible but even those blades were left useless in the face of Siris' defense, she may wield a massive sword but she still had a guard of steel (literally) every twist every reposition would cling off either the women's sword or the thick metal gauntlets she had on her wrists and forearms

Annoying yes but nothing he couldn't counter with a little time

All he needed to do was continue to put the knight in horrendous situations like the one she was currently in

Obviously the worst possible situation would be facing an opponent ten times your speed with each choice in weapon being the fastest known to man

Dual wielding short swords

Forget reach and guard, due to Siris' sword size striking at him was a death sentence as not only would it be ineffective but it would also spell a large opening for a game ending strike, All Kiba needed to do was play cat and mouse for a short while so to wear his opponent down for an easy opening or possibly hold her here until one of his allies cleaned up his assigned target and engaged his target for an easy two man victory

Spinning his right sword in his hands Kiba slammed it into Siris' guard before jumping up and sending his other blade down on the opening above her but to no avail, it seemed no matter the situation Siris was mostly just defending herself and seemed to have no thoughts of going to the offensive

To Kiba, he was basically fighting a brick wall with a pair of unlimited swords and daggers, he even shattered a few daggers on her sword before but they were easily replaced

?!

'_Wait a second' _thought Kiba as an idea sprouted up

Twisting his left sword into a reverse grip Kiba quickly gunned it towards Siris and leaped over her, all throughout his actions Siris had yet to stop looking at him, the only thing she truly had that was fast was keeping track of speeding targets but physically keeping up with them was another story however Kiba used the former to his advantage, twisting mid flight the Gremory knight sent one sword towards Siris upper guard directly were her eyes were

'_First step, render sight from target' _a loud _ding _could be heard registering the attack was a failure but in actuality it wasn't and it had actually done its job perfectly

Kiba landed on the ground a fraction of a second before Siris blocked the flying sword but that was all Kiba needed in order to use a last ditch attack on a wall-like defense

Hit her from bellow

"SWORD BIRTH!" chanted the knight as he pierced his sword into the ground bellow him, this caused a chain reaction to commence as swords of various design and origin stabbed from beneath the ground that which Siris stood

"What the-" the words of confusion and surprise were quickly silenced as various blades of size and type punctured the ground _and_ her like a gazer of deadly metal that pierced her stomach, right thigh and upper left bicep

It didn't even take a second for the light to envelop the critically wounded knight

"_**One of lord Risers knights, retires" **_

**-With Sona and co. inside the main observation and announcement room-**

"Didn't take much to remove her did it?" commented Tsubaki energetically

Sona on the other hand remained as annalistic as before, but she did however, acknowledged the rather uncharacteristic comment from her (usually) equally stoic queen, Sona never thought on it but it seemed Tsubaki got rather into it whenever Kiba was the subject of conversation

'_Gee, I wonder what that means' _thought the bespectacled devil sarcastically. Forgetting that side of herself she replied instead with...

"It wasn't a matter of beating her it was actually 'when' he would, Siris was outclassed in every sense of the word. Speed, positioning, keen adaptability, and open thought, all Siris could do was guard for dear life... she never really had the luxury to think of anything else much less an attack plan so her fall by Kiba's hands was inevitable" spoke Sona as she listed off Siris' defeat lazily

Question it and you may feel slightly retarded with the look she'd give you

"What else have you noticed lady Sona?" asked Grayfia suddenly

It was equally apparent that neither Sona nor Tsubaki believed Grayfia to be open to converse but now it seemed they were wrong

Concealing her slight surprise Sona replied "it's been hidden but I think I've noticed a small pattern in the battles we've seen so far"

"And what would that be?" asked the stoic gray haired devil

Sona's words were hard to find at conversing with a woman awkwardly, she even hinted pride in the women's knowing tone "it seems each fight has been in Rias' favor, Toujou and hyoudou both faced off against pieces equal or below their skill set and now its blatantly apparent with Kiba's easy victory against Siris that they are in fact targeting those smaller than them" the more she thought on it the slightly exasperated she became

Has Rias been orchestrating the encounters herself?

For a fraction of a second Sona believed she would die. You may ask why? Well, after seeing a devious smile on the strongest queen in hell, self preservation was the last thing to careen through her head, thankfully the women behind her wasn't hostile but extremely impressed and prideful to the near point of shattering her picture perfect character completely

Sighing calmly to herself, Grayfia began "your are correct in you analysis lady Sona, from the beginning it was apparent to me that necessary preparation was a must within lady Rias' planning... That and training obviously" once Grayfia finished speaking she leaned back into her chair

Sona and Tsubaki remained silent for a moment before they to fell silent, no words needed to be said, it was blatantly obvious that Rias had taken every step to prepare for this fight, it was a fight for her future after all

Your damn right she prepared

Now that the last knight of the Phenex house was taken care of, the Gremory team now ruled the terrain, and with the Phenex queen taken out early the Gremory's Queen now ruled the air with an iron fist

If Riser had an Alamo plan for his last remaining troops then now would be the perfect time to put it to action or all that will remain standing would be him and him alone

**-With Koneko-**

For the last minute the two brawling women kept locked in an endless trade of blows that which landed zero benefits for neither party, Isabella had learned her lesson and remained silent and Koneko's character was still very much intact, stoic combat was her forte after all

In a flurry Isabella sent a right hook and then a left jab towards Koneko which was blocked then redirected by Koneko a second after they were sent at her with professional precision and training

In response to the attack Koneko used the small opening to lift her left knee up to ram it into Isabella's left kidney but that was blocked by both hands from the larger women, adapting quickly to the change in movement Koneko retracted her leg and slammed it into the ground and flipped backwards and sent her left leg towards the other rooks lowered head

_**BANG! CRACK!**_

It was a stroke of luck on Koneko's part that the sudden use of acrobatic movement caught Isabella off guard so much that she was able to land a clear hit with her _steel _toe boots, one strong enough to crack her nose and leave a painful gash above the women's left eye

_**CRACK!**_

Isabella was recognized as the toughest in the peerage due to her mind of matter, any small pain was forgotten in order to gain a sensible ground in combat and so without thought the last remaining rook snapped her shattered nose back into place with only minor flinching

Koneko was just wondering how that mask remained on her face after that

"You hit hard for a little runt" insulted Isabella angrily "Mihea! I could use some support!" after the small but loud request a second party member joined the fray, the bishop seemed mostly silent to being brought into combat but Koneko suspected she wasn't a 'hands on' fighter but more likely a support class

'_She's going to be a problem' _thought Koneko but she stopped mind combat prep duo to a single thought passing by her mind

It was so simple she nearly broke character thinking about it

Raising her hand high into the air Koneko looked as stoic as before but one thing seemed different

A small smile played on her lips

_**Snap**_

With a snap of her fingers Koneko sent out a signal that which was answered a nanosecond after her

_**DOOOOOOOMMMM!**_

Why they hadn't used Akeno's support by this point was beyond her but she simply ruled it out as small individual pride was the reason... that or Issei and Kiba didn't really need help at all

"AHHHHHHHH!" screamed the electrified bishop

_**BOOOOM! **_

Koneko looked on in silence as the prolonged electrocution finally subsided allowing the large build up of magic to detonate

"_**One of lord Risers Bishops, retires"**_

"GAHH!" yelled out Isabella as she was carried towards Koneko from the blasts concussive wave, from the first glimpse Isabella looked to have sustained a multitude of shrapnel damage to her back and right side but that didn't cause Koneko to hesitate

"Two birds..." timing her next move perfectly Koneko caught the flying Phenex piece with a powerful punch that created a velocity ring before she slammed the rook into the ground with enough force to crater the floor below her

"...One stone" finished the white haired rook while she watched the white light envelop the unconscious rook below her

"_**Lord Risers rook, Retires"**_

**-With Issei-**

"Why can't we hit him!" yelled out one twin, the fight was as fast as a pawn fight could get but the sheer level of identically features the two had made distinguishing who was who left Issei simply naming them by the color of the uniform and hair

So far the two had been using a leap frog styled pattern to land successive blows in a continuous fashion but sadly for them he read right through that at the beginning, it was simple really just don't get hit, each of their strikes targeted critical nerve endings and joints in the legs that would cause him to stubble of lock up, and that spelt a small amount of danger

His standard level of durability with Ddraig's gift was enough to give him a good enough defense to avoid critical love taps from cat girls and so far he simply enjoyed dancing around with them, he had to tango with Kiba and Koneko before and they were a good enough lesson to stay away from reach

He lost count with the amount of times he was locked into a 58000 hit combo with Kiba

"It doesn't matter, lady Phenex wants him hurt, so keep going Le" worded the red headed kitten while she circled around him like a predator

**[So how will you handle these two partner?] **Asked the dragon within him questioningly

'_hm, I'd rather avoid using any devil energy at the moment, with both of Kiba's and Koneko's opponents defeated I'm hoping they'll intervene and deal them in for me' _replied Issei before he side stepped a shot to his lower ribs and then ducked another shot to the rear of his neck

**[Seriously? You're turning down the chance to win an easy victory?] **Ddraig was confused by his partners lack of desire to crush the girls before him but the next reply snuffed out his confusion quick _'victory in my eyes is defeating someone greater then you, I'm loyal to Rias' orders but she never did say I could simply wait for someone else to clean them up, after all my true target is Riser not the akuma natata sisters'_

**[What about that rook you fought at haft power, why'd you fight her?] **Pressed Ddraig

Issei sighed internally _'I needed to see where I stood in strength, she was rather easy to deal with, and by looking at the pawns now shows me she's stronger than them... I'd learn nor achieve nothing here' _

Ddraig quieted down after that before Issei refocused his attention to the little dance before him, from the start of meeting the child before him Ddraig had come to the conclusion that this boy was a lot more than just an every ordinary student, he had grown at extreme speeds since day one and now he was a completely different a person then he was a few weeks ago, the dragon haft suspected his personality now was a mix between a warriors instinct and a dragons arrogance

Both equally influential in their own right and both of them neutralized each other's negative aspects, for example, if Issei took more after the dragon inside him then he'd give no qualms with crushing any and all that stood in his way, dangerous yes but it would put his allies in danger of a broken formation and that was bad with how critically the red haired girl had planned it so a calm and decisive mind was need... which was what the warriors instinct side was doing

Ddraig had witnessed the change, every time Issei fought the shadow of his 'weakest' host Issei would show great care and determination in overcoming the shadow and now it seemed to Issei that any strong target was on his list, if you were equal or below then he wouldn't show you much attention other than simply kicking your ass

But issei showed that he was conservative in his devil energy, Ddraig had been mostly confused by that, his fight with the rook prior to his expenditure to that illusion ore was barely anything for him to worry about

'_**Perhaps he's preparing everything he has for his fight with Riser, it would seem that is the biggest guess I can find' **_thought Ddraig to himself

From outside his mind Issei continued to play things elusive, every swipe, jab or lunge would be avoided like the plague, his evasive procedures were mostly Issei's main goal and any attempt on landing a hit was dually avoided

"_Issei are you having trouble with the pawns?" _asked Akeno within his ear piece

"Nope, just trying to handle them without using too much energy" he replied out calmly

"_Well make it quick, Rias wants this mopped up in 1 minute; I can take down one if you wan-"_

"NO NEED!" yelled Issei suddenly, he may have been un-wanting to take out the cat ladies but after hearing Akeno's proposition he felt his male pride was on the line so he acted accordingly

_**BANG! BANG!**_

A few seconds during his small trade of words with Akeno did the twin cat girls lunge at him in two different directions, one was from his right side and the other was to his front, normally he would simply leap of them but now he felt he had to respond

In a simultaneous fashion and with much focus, Issei shot out his right fist which collided with the blue haired girls face and just as he made contact with her did his left hand land the downward chop to the red heads head which sent the former flying back and the latter to slam face first into the dirt with the sudden redirection in momentum

"_**Two of Lord Risers pawns, retires"**_ Announced Grayfia

Taking in a small intact of air Issei calmed himself of the sudden discharge of his boosted gears energy and then calmed the his riled reserves a second after that, then after he raised his hand to his ear and replied to Akeno calmly

"58 seconds to spare" he replied calmly "sorry for the yelling by the way"

There was a pause before she replied _"~ufufu, my, that was rather surprising Issei-kun, did my words spark a loud of motivation?~" _gone was the serious tone and in its place was one filled with sensual teasing, if easy hadn't readied himself for a reply in that fashion he may have just melted then there and there but however that wasn't the case

"... Possibly" his reply only received another load of giggles before his king finally replaced the comm's channel

"_Nicely done on the double takedown Issei; Kiba, Koneko, good work to you two as well. Now with all of Risers pieces down we can proceed as planned, rendezvous at the designated zone to commence the last attack" _

"_Hai" _Kiba sounded off

"_Hai" _next was Koneko

Akeno piped in as well _"on my way"_

"_Hai" _Asia even added her two cents

Issei calmly raised his hand before he replied as well "Hai"

Before the teen could run off he caught sight of Ravel, who in every right of the word looked shocked and frozen at how badly the two last remaining pieces were defeated within seconds of each other

"H-how strong a-a-are y-you?" she was frozen if not paralyzed by his level of dominance he had shown previously and now she refrained from making eye contact

Walking up to her calmly Issei simply paused and placed his hands in his pockets before he looked off and answered her stuttered question "the biggest mistake you all had was your own accomplishments, had you not underestimated us or Rias' abilities as a king then we may still be very much locked in a conflict right now but we aren't are we?" he finished but Ravel never answered

Chuckling softly Issei patted the girls head calmly before he continued "be thankful, we have given you one of the greatest lessons a fighter can truly be given"

For a moment Ravel looked up to issei innocently to which he smiled pleasantly

"What would that be?" she asked quietly, retrieving his hands from her head he answered with a lazy stroke of his fist

"A nice slice of humble pie" he said cheerfully which caused Ravels cheeks to flush at his rather uncharacteristic manner "it's allot like Buckleys, sure it tastes awful... but it works"

Ravel didn't know what had come up but for some reason she felt her face swell up with heat before she finally snapped and hide her face by looking down from the powerful man before her "shut up and go, I can't stop you"

Smiling down at her he tapped her head lightly before adding in one last thing "I'd recommend on forfeiting right now, things are about to get really messy" he advised before he ran off towards the building main entrance

Had he been a little later he would have noticed Ravel look back at him before she herself resided in white light

"_**One of lord Risers Bishops, Retires"**_

**-XxXxXxX-**

The jog to the entrance felt long and painfully quite, the harsh atmosphere of combat had subconsciously filled his mind with a stream of constant memories of angry screams of defiance or the sound of metal meeting metal, and occasionally the sound of a fist impacting a skull at inhuman speeds but that didn't really make the point

It seemed the with long period of silence had caused most of Issei's adrenaline to fade which brought the sheer level of silence the alternate space truly held

And to Issei, it was a painful sound if you could call it that

Lucky for him, the run wasn't one of Rias' 4 mile runs but rather a 4 yard leap and so the lack of sound or anything was quickly replaced by the small chatter of voices near the front entrance to Risers base, give him some understanding but right at this point it felt as though he was within a party of six in some kind of raid and right now they were all waiting for him to join them before the final boss could spawn

Rather than playing it, he was living it!

Ah the childish side of him still remained intact

"Sorry to keep you guys waiting, had a civilian to talk to" he started which caused Rias to look to him calmly "No need to worry, your right on time... Asia"

At the red heads orders did Asia walk up to Issei and heal his small cuts and minor bruises, ones he hadn't realized he sustained

Adrenaline had most likely concealed the pain

"You ok Asia?" he asked suddenly which caused the aforementioned bishop to snap suddenly at the quick question, nodding calmly she replied "I'm fine, if anyone is injured it'd be the ones fighting, not the one supporting them" her reply was humble but that didn't faultier Issei's locked and serious gaze

The look alone told Asia that his question was more along the lines of psychological then physical and then she felt much different, now that she was acknowledging her inner worries she was well aware that Issei knew that she was extremely nervous, so much so that her hands were shaking

While the others remained amongst them Issei acted in accordance to what he felt was best suited, without hesitation the Gremory pawn encompassed Asia's hands with his own and held them tightly

He hadn't noticed before but issei couldn't get over the fact at how small Asia's hands were to his own and he practically hide her hands in his grasp, it was comedic due to Issei's nonchalant contact and Asia's beat red face but the former didn't seem to care one bit

"You'll be safe... You have my word on that" his words of promise were firm and absolute, and she knew any rebuked words or humble reminders wouldn't change his choice of words so instead she remained silent even after he let go of her hands

"Are we ready to go?" asked the stern and ready Pawn, the small moment of reprieve was needed not only to allow Akeno to recollect as much spent energy as possible but to also heal any sustained wounds the others may have faced

Due to the training they had went through the little 'break time' was only recorded to be around a minute to 30 seconds at best, taking a breather in a battle wasn't smart so limiting the time of reprieve was paramount to Rias and so her small break times in the crimson week had driven the peerage to work together to require their lost energy in a small amount of time

A unit recovery time so to speak, going from fight to fight usually ends with the unit either being wiped out or captured so she simply brought that into her training schedule to lesson that possibility

Within a matter of seconds the others quickly regrouped and broke off into their formations, Akeno took to the skies and retreated back into the dense forest a few yards from the school building, Akeno and Kiba simply entered the bases front door and strode of to various locations inside the building, sighing calmly before he nodded to Asia and then Rias, Issei soon after strode off towards the stairs to the upper floor

Nodding to the boy's back Rias looked to Asia before she outstretched her devil wings and took flight towards the building's roof, this left Asia alone in the main plaza, for a moment the calm silence was unnerving but the calming words from Akeno... _"I'm still here Asia, remain in sight and I'm sure you'll be just fine, Kiba and Koneko should return soon" _...calmed the nervous bishop a good bit

**-With Koneko and Kiba near the boiler room and lower level bathrooms-**

With a calming breath Kiba placed his hand against the wall directly beside the boiler room heating furnace, there were a total of five alongside the wall to the left of the entrance way, the five massive furnaces were specifically meant for heating the main buildings occupants during the cold winters and weeks for the progression of the year but for a battlefield they served more like fuel tanks then comfort equipment

Seeing the small crest of the Gremory house etched on the walls of the boiler room Kiba sighed calmly again before pressing his hand to his left ear "I'm all done here Koneko, regroup in the main plaza when you're done"

"_Roger that"_ came the stoic reply

Nodding to his handy work Kiba jogged back to the main entrance were he regrouped with Asia, a minute later and Koneko returned as well, not much was happening at the moment and Kiba couldn't really express his relief, all that remained was Riser while everyone on their side was still standing and in perfect condition Kiba haft, no, he fully expected Riser to be extremely pissed off with the turn of events, not to mention his queen was eliminated far before the last few fell so Kiba believed the arrogant devil to have learned a few things and took it upon himself to step in a fight the losing battle

Yet he hadn't done so at all

Either something was up or he simply felt there wasn't a problem at all, the latter was expected from the Phenex heir but the former was a possibility, a possibility he wished to not be the case

"_We are all done down below, charges are set and primed... whenever you're ready Rias_" the calm yet serious voice of Akeno reported over the magic comm's link, then the following voice reported

"_Promote; queen"_

Kiba knew full well that the final stages in their attack had finally been released, the sheer pressure and power he felt was intense but they had long since trained under even the most powerful of pressures so instead of kneeling down to relieve himself of the pressure the others simply focused on their objective that which had quickly took action

Like a trigger being pulled the Phenex had risen to the challenge

**-With Rias on the roof-**

Feeling a familiar pressure rise in power Rias subconsciously flexed her healthily trained muscles when she saw a the chain reaction she predicted a week ago

Call it a devil instinct but when one devil feels a large spike in devil energy it's not curiosity that causes them to respond but rather a drive to face the challenge head on, its effects only effect the most potent of devils for example, highly prideful devils and or arrogant devils seeking to raise their standings when facing a powerful being

In this instance it was Rias' ploy to pull Riser from his hole using his own arrogance against him, it took a minute but it work effectively, the pressure release from issei was an initial pull but after he subsided his Rias replaced his with her own

deep crimson energy flowed off her person like a calm yet deadly flame raising her long crimson hair to standing and flow upward, her eyes had changed from her normal teal but to a red shade that promised a quick escape to nothingness, her hands flexed from the calm relaxed state into tense fists

Calming herself Rias recollected her excess energy and brought it down to a bare release like state, her hair fell down to the normal state but her eyes remained red, any sign suggesting to her release was expressed through the small amount of red smoke surrounding her

From the other side of the roof appeared a man Rias deeply despised, from the looks of things he looked to be impressed yet still defiantly arrogant to the bitter end, from just his expression Rias suspected the man still believed to be the victor

She clenched her teeth slightly at the thought

"So... you're calling out Lord Riser to fight huh? Such is the predictable pride of the Gremory family" started Riser with his usual snarky attitude

"What did you expect _Riser, _did you really expect me to stand on the side lines and let my servants fight _my_ battle?" she replied angrily as no small amount of venom was etched into her words when she spoke his name

In response to her reply the third son of the Phenex house simply smirked and shook his head "You are just as defiant as you were three years ago, change is the last thing you can be described as"

"I can say the same to you, even after all this time you still see me as nothing but a weak and defenceless girl" replied Rias hotly, killing intent rising

"But you still are... even now you still lack what you really-"

_**BOOM!**_

At speeds untraceable by the naked eye, a narrow yet thick spear of red and black energy sped pasted Risers cheek, leaving a small gash that radiated a red smoke, for a moment the wound _remained_ but soon after it healed

"Killing intent... been there, learned that" replied the now dangerously pissed off Rias, her eyes couldn't be more red and they seemed to glow fiercely

Riser remained silent as he studied the previous wound calmly, something about it confused him deeply, the small gash should've healed nano seconds after its affliction but it remained a good 5 seconds before he could heal it... something was different about her

For a moment the mature devil stood still before he chuckled softly "hmhmhmhm, I guess I was actually a small step behind you, my dear Rias, you really have changed... it's been a long time since someone was able to leave a lasting wound on me" he paused to smirk dangerously "I guess facing you one on one for a bit wouldn't be a waste of my time after all"

Taking a stance that mirrored royalty and power Riser eyed Rias while she herself stood by and waited for a single movement

"_All charges are set Rias, estimated time will be three minutes" _Akeno's voices echoed through her head before she cut the comm's link

Three minutes was the perfect amount of time

"Care to dance Rias?" asked Riser suddenly

Smirking slightly she replied "feel honored Riser, cause this will be the only dance you'll get from me" seeing the frown that etched itself on his face Rias smirked darkly before she acted on the opening

Spiking her energy levels Rias summoned four black and red energy spears in an arch above her head, with a simple point of her finger Rias sent two at his feet so to cause a small cloud of smoke just before she sent the last two at his stomach and leg

_**SQUELCH! SQUELCH!**_

She predicted he wouldn't move, his high speed regeneration was his one and only defense, and she'd use that against him, summoning two more destruction spears Rias reacquired her target before she aimed one at his head and the other at his right arm

Just like the first verse, the sound that followed was just the like the second, calming herself at the small time of reprieve Rias allowed the cloud of smoke to dissipate which showed the four shots intending to kill had actually hit their mark

Did they kill him?

No, killing him wasn't possible this early into the dance; her duty was more along the lines of withering him down in a safe manner then just killing him outright... didn't mean she didn't want to though

Form a moment Riser was silent, but not by choice, his head seemed to lag behind his intended regeneration time, almost haft of his head had regenerated which had presented a haft frown, for some damn reason Rias' attacks seemed to leave his regeneration in a lagging state, sure they did regen but at a painfully slow pace

He was even feeling the pain of the wounds!

'_Damn women, how the hell is she doing this?' _questioned Riser internally, soon after his head repaired itself and then he took a glance down towards his stump of a right arm

Analyzing it of anything different Riser quickly spotted that near the edge of his wounds small amounts of red smoke was seen _eating _away at his rapid regenerating arm

So that's how his wounds took so long to heal, the residue from Rias' destruction power was trained to eat away ones physical being over time, from a long time ago Riser had know that all Rias was capable of was simple explosions of large proportions and due to the level of disappointment he had towards that Riser simply forgot about her power development and leaned more towards her other _developments_

What she had now was both a fortress type power as well as a one on one type combat power, his regeneration was fast but the obvious difference in his normal regeneration speed to the one now suggested that her deterioration effect was fast enough to fight his regeneration to a small stalemate

If he didn't have his Phenex abilities he might as well be a decaying corpse by now

But he wasn't and by how small the effects are Risers healing was out powering it to simple two second to three second lags, nothing he couldn't compensate and nothing to troubling

"So, instead of focusing on-"

_**SQUELCH!**_

"You asked for this dance so I make the rules..." started Rias as she watched Risers lower jaw land on the roofs tiles "...Rule number one: no talking"

From across the way Riser remained silent while he looked at his lower jaw deteriorate on the roofs tiles, did she just... _ORDER HIM?!_

If Riser looked pissed then he look furious now, three seconds and his lower jaw was replaced by another, before he could yell out to her in vehement anger but he stopped when he saw four more red and black spears come flying at him at high speeds

Waving his hand to the side Riser summoned a massive wall of fire that which redirected the spears away from his face and his body, when they exploded against the trees and pavement down below Riser responded in kind

Coiling his hand back all the while collecting as much Phenex fire as possible before he suddenly lurched his had forward sending a massive ball of hell fire towards the unmoving Gremory heir

'_Alright, just like before... except don't release it' _Rias' inner reminder helped in both keeping her cool as well as motivate her, flexing her right hand Rias summoned a large cloud of black and red energy to coil around her like a viper before it to lurched forward towards the ball of impeding heat

As the two powerful family devil powers closed into each other the tiles in-between the two devils lifted and trenched at the powerful force the attacks created before suddenly the two energies collided into a massive explosion that rocked and destroyed the roofing in between the two combatants

_**BOOOOOM!**_

The ending aftermath showed that not only the roof but the second floor down below had suffered a good bit from the following concussion

The battle between Rias and riser halted when the large pillar of smoke blocked each of their views so no pot shots were taken lest they telegraph their positions

However Riser didn't see any harm in that and proceeded to fire a second shot but much smaller and accurate through the smoke cloud, the sudden force of the shot had made a large enough hole in the smoke cloud that Riser easily noticed he had long since missed his intended target

"Don't tell me were going to play this game again Rias, playing cat and mouse doesn't intrigue me as much as kicking your little pawns ass" the words of Riser echoed out but no response came so quickly, his intention was to obviously through Rias off by reminding her the pain he was going to inflict on Issei but it didn't seem to have worked out so well

"Tch... I don't have time for this Rias! Stop hiding and fight me like a true fighter! ...or was that talk a minute ago a small burst in confidence, you may have swept my other pieces out easy enough but that doesn't mean I'll be so easy!" again no answer

With a grumbling heave Riser strode forward to be where his previous opponent was before he stopped and scanned the area around him, seeing nothing he started to growl deeply "This is so annoying, Riser doesn't have time with dealing with cowards! All of you face me or I'll—"

_**BZZZZZZZ! DOOOOOOOOM! BOOOOOOOOOOM!**_

In a matter similar to domino's Riser was struck by not just a massive pale yellow thunder bolt but the after effect caused the following chain reaction, after the thunder bolt hit its mark, that being Risers mug, the force behind the attack was enough to send the mature devil through the floor of the roof and then detonate with the massive collection of energy built up from said thunder bolt, similar to how Yubelluna went but the first initial shock was much longer then hers

Riser has a thick skull; overkill was the best choice in the matter

After the collected devil energy dispersed violently inside the building the added narrow corridors as well as the close proximity to the boiler room caused the third and final detonation, imaging a massive tank of nitro fuel being dumped onto a barrel of napalm before its hit by a fire and forget javelin anti tank rocket and you may get a close estimate of the sheer destructive power behind the blast, even some trees a few yards away looked to have sustained some minor blow back

The school however looked like... well, it was rendered down to the last brick, class rooms, bathrooms, faculty rooms and the staff lunch room was all gone, mixed in with the debris down on the alternate earth below, a few support beams stood tall but even then they looked like they just wanted to quiet, Rias suspected that if she were to see Sona's expression it would either be narrowed dangerously at seeing an image of her school being leveled or scared at the sudden blast she had created within a matter of seconds

The plan before the execution was simple

Kiba and Koneko were to plant a selection of explosives in multiple locations within the school that which layered over each other like a bull's eye, the bulls eye being the last place that which Riser stood, after that Akeno would use her 'Railgun' to level Riser down to the second floor, Rias estimated the lag between the hit and the detonation would allow Riser to fall down to the third floor well before the second detonation caused the third to follow after

But this is when the real kicker shows itself

The seals that which Kiba and Koneko planted were to be detonated from the outside ring towards the middle ring, this caused a mushroom cloud effect and then add to that, it would also force...

_**CRASH!**_

...Riser up

From a good distance away, that being a few meters, stood Kiba, Koneko, and Rias, each perfectly well and restored, Rias may be slightly fatigued due to her small clash with Riser but using the same method as Akeno had taught her helped her restore a small amount of it back within a few breaths

From their perspective Riser looked literally like a crispy chicken wing, the electrical shock had kept him twitching slightly and the amount of heat that he had absorbed made him look like a napalm strike victim, not even his eyes looked to have been spared as deep black eye sockets remained

Rias had expected this to be one of the more effective attacks used in damaging Riser, The Phenex house is known for its immortal flames and sheer representation of the undying nature pure hell fire was but it had its limits, namely its possessors will and his damage intake, if he were to take a load of damage so great then his fire would diminish from his attacks and refocus more to his regenerative abilities

She had trained hard to replicate the decay effect the power of destruction had and so far she had made a massive leap in achieving it, even now his wounds looked to struggle to regenerate due to the poisonous effect her destruction had then add a constant intake of damage would keep the decaying effect going

Like a rechargeable battery every time Riser would be hit by a magic or energy based attack only haft of its effects would cause him pain or damage while the other would redirect towards the small decaying cells pulsing in his system, the only thing that can stop that effect would be a Phenex tear as its purity (as pure a devil power can get) would cleanse him of her poisonous after effect

She did say she'd use his regeneration against him didn't she?

From the start of the game Riser had only been given two Phenex tears, one for his queen and another for his sister Ravel, but one was retired while the other forfeited long before the battle taking with them both Phenex tears

If Riser wish to free himself from his small douse of poison then he'd need to cry first but she knew that he'd rather die than show weakness at the moment

"Damn this... when the hell did you learn this?" snared Riser as he struggled to stand, the crispy part of his body had long since fallen off leaving his severed arm and leg still to repair, from the normal time of three seconds delay Riser's healing factor was now slowed down by six seconds, long enough for the adrenaline to wear off which caused Riser's pain threshold to be tested greatly

The lag between regenerating will grow larger the more the fight progressed, the sheer level of energy and power placed with the explosion was good enough to last the poison cells 5 minutes before they'd need a recharging lucky for her the final stage of Riser's 'ash' kicking was wide and presented o her and her allies

"Kiba, Koneko, I leave prolonged damaging to you" at her orders Kiba vanished while Koneko ran back to the forests out rim and grabbed a massive boulder before throwing it at the now standing Riser Phenex who quickly shot the large rock mid flight causing it's to rain shrapnel down on him, the small impacts on him caused him to growl due to their small annoying receive impacts to his burning wounds but very quickly the rocks stopped raining before Riser quickly spotted a blonde flash careen past his left side and then his right

_**SLICE! SLICE!**_

In a matter of seconds Riser's left arm and right leg flew off in a fountain of molten flames which caused him to fall back down to his knees in pain, he had sustained zero magic damage and energy damage so the lag between regenerating was still six seconds

"Grrrr" growling lowly at have been dropped back down to the floor; Riser used his right hand to send a large ball of flames directly towards Koneko who quickly dived into the bushes

_**BOOM!**_

"This is ridiculous! Being dropped to my knees by all of you weak low class devils!" in a burst of anger Risers right leg sprouted back, the sheer will he had to remain standing was enough to override the poison effect down in his leg but his left arm remained

"Akeno fire a salvo" muttered Rias into her magic comm's link, soon after her order a volley of yellow lightning bolts smack down onto Risers position before on last larger bolt trigger the following explosion

_**BZZZ BZZ BOOOOM!**_

The explosion wasn't as large as before but it carried enough force to cause Riser to redirect a second ball of fire towards the sky as well as rekindle the lag time in Rias' curse effect

Now the flames at the edge of his stump of an arm looked like small embers battling small red embers, a true stalemate it seemed as neither the red embers caused decay nor did the flames repair, his left arm was now useless

"Continue the assault, fall back in three minutes!" yelled Rias as she summoned four red spears and shot all of them at Riser, dodging some of the red cursed spears Riser only received two of the four for his efforts, he now had a hole in his gut the size of a soft ball and another in his thigh

Gritting his teeth from the resurfacing of pain Riser focused on the blonde blur but was sent off his feet by receiving a large tree trunk to the face

_**CRACK! CRASH!**_

The sound of Risers neck snapping and the tree crashing against the ground followed the effort of Koneko's javelin toss but it didn't last long as every effort available aloud Riser to repair his broken neck within two seconds rather than six

"Damn runt... you'll pay for that one" snarled Riser towards the unmoved Rook

"Suck it" was her reply before she chucked a second tree towards him, a tree that vaporized in flames a second later, with the smoke and splints blocking his view Kiba made his attacks known a second time leaving three large gashes on Risers front torso and one other large one on his back before he finished by slicing the tendon in his calf

"Why don't you take a knee" commented Kiba before he zoomed off into the smoke away from the fuming Riser Phenex but it stopped when a third tree sped past Risers face leaving him slightly shell shocked at the near miss

"I missed" Koneko's stoic and disappointed tone was heard by Riser within the smoke but he simply ignored it "this is pointless Rias! I'm still regenerating my wounds and that means you can't stop what's coming"

Similar to the time on the roof he heard no reply nor did he hear a tree being up rooted for another toss, narrowing his eyes he waved his hand causing the cloud of smoke to reveal that his three opponents were long gone

"Keep running little worms! You only prolong the inevitable!" snapped Riser before he unleashed a large wave of flames towards the tree line where he expected the 'little worms' to have fled, but he heard no cries of pain, much to his disappointment

Due to the smoke his vision of the school was hindered a good bit but the simple sounds of crumbling debris was just enough for him to remember that his base was destroyed and going towards it was a wasted thought, instead he treed forward towards the now burning forest

With loud and profound footsteps of malice Riser angrily entered the burning forest with heavy emotions raining in his combat eye sight and as such he made no inclination of acknowledging his new opponent that being the young brown haired teen that was stationed comfortably on the untouched tree log 20 feet from which Riser stood

Still fuming under the stress and anger at being ignored twice Riser carried on another 30 seconds before he spotted the well camouflaged teen, the sky had been blanketed with a thick ash and any sight of the once purple sky was then replaced with a red light that burned like the fires of hell

"You" growled Riser when he finally spotted issei leaning calming against the tree

Shrugging his shoulders he replied smartly "me?" he started while gesturing to himself "You flatter me Riser, you'd came all this way into a burning forest just to find me? One stop you'll make me blush!" Issei's jesting and mocking tone was effective, Riser's prideful disposition was so wounded at this point that you'd haft to be brain dead to not expect a retort

"Don't mock me! You low class dog!" yelled Riser before he surrounded himself in flames threateningly "you may have surprised me during that little tussle of ours but it won't happen again!"

Smirking slightly issei returned the comment "then you should really pay attention on were your standing" after his comment he pointed towards the ground beneath Riser

Snapping his head down to the ground Riser clicked his tongue in annoyance at being forced into another trap

_**VOOOP BOOOOM! **_

The reaction that followed wasn't the regular type of explosion normally seen, instead it looked like a miniature version of a thermoberic explosion, the initial detonation was trigger my another devil's energy rising rapidly, just like how Riser covered himself in flames it was just enough to trigger the first explosion... or impulse more like as instead of expanding outward it collected all the magic in the area that being Riser into a small area before it exploded out word sending all debris in every direction

Due to Riser being in the center of the explosion he had not been sent anywhere, his ribs and lower torso however... was

**SPLAT **

With his spine and ribs almost completely visible Riser immediately fell over lest his upper body latterly fall of his lower one, the unceremonious fall caused the pain that was beginning to rise suddenly spike into Risers pain threshold and by this point his teeth looked ready to shatter at the pressure he was using to cringe away the pain

"I can't imagine what being taken apart piece by piece feels like... looks painful, and that left arm of yours doesn't look to be getting any better" issei added in while still sitting on the tree stump

Glaring past the pain Riser filled his eyes with as much hatred as possible and directed it towards the young arrogant teen before him

Seeing his gaze Issei smirked down at him nonchalantly "Strange huh? Usually it's the good guy fighting tooth and nail for victory but it seems today the roles have violently turned" smirking deeper he continued "I wonder why that is?"

In a fit of anger Riser tried to stand but forgot his body was relatable to a used up apple, he had been so used to his healing abilities that he forgot he was still wounded; the only thing keeping him alive was the Phenex flames deep in his devilish spirit otherwise Rias would've won by now

"I'd refrain from getting up there Riser... after all, Rias was the one that made that trap" pausing he rubbed his fingers against his chin "and I'm sure you are well aware of what her little secret ability is by now, so be patient Riser, we'll duke it out in a minute here"

For a minute issei remained silent and watched as organ by organ Risers lower torso was repaired at a painfully slow pace, the magic and energy inside the explosion was small but its focused effect was good enough to force the lag gap from six seconds to _thirty _seconds, not to mention the poisonous effect was good enough to disrupt Risers regeneration from healing multiple organs and limbs to a barren 2-3 at a time

It took thirty seconds but after awhile Riser's lungs were restored and well after that his torso muscles and skin finished melding itself back to cover the exposed organs, his shirt had been stained by small amounts of blood but the rest seemed to look like ash had caked the man's seemingly expensive shirt

Then after two grueling minutes the man stood back up, the pain prior to standing was still fresh in the Phenex heirs mind but his anger towards the smart-aleck before him was enough to help him forget the pain

"You damn, low class scum" started Riser lowly but issei finished for him

"Your gonna beat me to a pulp before you feed my corpse to some kind of repulsive devil creature all the while laughing evilly, I've predicted worse if that helps"

Snarling at being interrupted Riser added in "That's not even close to what I plan for you"

For a moment Issei remained silent while looking to the standing Riser confusedly "you have some serious anger management issues you know that Right?"

He didn't get an answer in words, instead he received one, well almost as a ball of fire was sent to his torso but thanks his honed instincts he was as able to jump over the ball with seemingly enough ease to impress a moderate combat specialist

Landing softly enough Issei swapped his jesting expression with a serious one "I'll take that last answer as a yes then" dipping into a stance Issei outstretched his hand before gesturing Riser to 'come at him'

In a quick manner Riser snapped from his position across from Issei to suddenly appear to his left side, coiling flames around his left leg Riser sent a quick high kick to Issei's head but it was quickly avoided by issei ducking and weaving around Riser so to answer Risers first move with a powerful low jab to his kidney

_**THUMP! **_

"Gah" coughing slightly at the relatively small hit Riser turned around but suddenly lurched forward when a second strike slammed into his gut which created a similar vacuum sound as before

Stunned and disorientated Issei finished his counter by slamming a third punch into the man's 'pretty' face causing him to fly towards a tree a few feet away

_**CRASH!**_

"Not much of a fighter are you Riser, surely that isn't all you got" commented issei while Riser stood to his feet, a furious expression on his features but it looked faltered and somewhat unfocused

Seeing the man's gritted teeth he deduced an answer himself "I see" started the teen "it seems buchou's special poison is starting to take effect"

From across the way Riser shook his head before replying "what in the hell is it?" he questioned angrily

"A poison bent on destruction" quoted issei "catching name really, buchou made it. Its main effect is as its shown, it decays the physical body of the person afflicted and is fueled by energy... namely energy or magic attacks received recharge its life line as well as increase the lag in between any form of regenerative abilities, its literally a devil version of a holy spear except sadly it isn't as potent as the latter" explained issei calmly, Riser's eyes widened before they narrowed

"Such abilities is unheard of, she couldn't have possibly learnt that skill within a week" Risers voice was confused and shocked but ultimately stubborn to true facts

"You'd be amazed at the accomplishments one can achieve when they put their mind to it Riser but I'm not expecting a person who only trained a day in his life to understand that"

Growling at the sharp but true words Risers defiance grew "Don't under estimate me _Pawn_ I'm more than enough to—"

_**CRUNCH**_

Riser was silence when a fist slammed painfully into his face, a punch so hard it shattered bone

"I'm not even listening Riser, words from an arrogant man who refuses to acknowledge an obvious challenge deserves no honor from me" lifting the Phenex heir by the scruff of his shirt issei continued "just as much as you don't deserve Rias' affection... now shut up and lose already!" finishing his comment issei drove a powerful punch that was molded with a green aura

The force was good enough to send the Phenex heir careening out of the burnt forest and back out into the tennis court with enough left over force to cause the blonde haired man to trench the floor below him

Focusing his dragon aura in his legs issei flexed his leg muscles before he power jumped to were Riser landed, a disgusted and annoyed expression on his features

"I have to give some dislike to this effect of buchou's, I was hoping to really cut loose but it seems it was a wasted hope on my end" stopping just fresh of the trench left by Risers landing issei looked on towards the haft awake Phenex house heir "You look weak right now Riser... if you still wish to up hold that pride of yours stand up now, or was this weak dog too much for you to handle?"

Silence reined after that and issei looked bored, clicking his tongue he began to walk away but froze when a massive pillar of flames erupted from where Riser was sitting but he wasn't sitting anymore

"You really are stronger than before... now I feel really stupid" placing his hands on his head Riser smirked before he snapped his gaze back at the surprised yet calm issei Hyoudou "why didn't I just kill you when we first met? Rias would've been so much easier to defeat if you weren't in the picture"

Calmly turning to the now fully awake devil, issei stood by "you only have yourself to blame for that, you are arrogant Riser Phenex, to blindly ignore a possible Achilles tendon shows just how arrogant you really are, how you so proudly boast your powers around without considering the power of others"

Chuckling to himself Issei finished "I hope this defeat chips away that stupidity of yours"

Growling Riser dropped into a stance "just shut up and come at me, low class freak"

With the equal taunts floating in the air issei activated his dragon gift which caused the green aura before to cover his being

Once he stopped activating his power things got violent... fast

In a world wind of movement issei cracked the ground beneath himself with enough force to send him directly towards the ready and poised Phenex who quickly blocked a low punch to his ribs and then responded by sending his own bunch but to his surprise his punch actually connected but had it done any form of damage then he would've been happy but the pawn didn't even register it

After the first trade of blows the two grew into speed blurs, the Phenex fire helped in amplifying Risers movements while Issei kept up with his dragon gift, after a good minute of blow for blow issei answered a punch by countering with a powerful palm thrust which sent the Phenex heir skidding along the tennis flowing for 12 feet

"Not bad _pawn,_ but let's see how well you can adapt" infusing his hand with Phenex fire Riser punched his fist into the ground which caused the flooring to fissure with cracks, it took issei a second to realize the punch wasn't intimidation but rather a means to an attack

Diving to the right away from the cracks all the while activating his dragon skin ability Issei witnessed the cracks sprout massive amounts of fire from seemingly down from hell itself

'_Damn him for copying Armstrong' _thought issei commercially as the walls of fire subsided; suddenly issei smirked before he stood back up

"So you survived that huh?" commented Riser darkly

"What else you got?" came Issei's low response

All Riser did was smirk before he gunned it towards him all the while priming a punch directly towards the teens heart

**DING!**

"What the hell?" question Riser when his fist met something that felt like a steel wall

"From the words of a good villain... nano machines son" issei reference before he upper cut the shocked and surprised Riser in the chin so hard it tossed him into the air a good 12 feet

"Don't fuck with this pawn" he finished before kicking the airborne Phenex heir away

Now that the dragon skin was activated Issei's weight doubled to the point where the tennis flooring disagreed with holding him up

With each step the floor cracked with each strike sent and each hit taken the floor beneath issei shook

"What the hell are you made of?!" yelled Riser, the accumulated assaults on his person had left small bruising in various locations, the energy infused punches had worn on the Phenex heir to the point that his regeneration was left hindered to nearly useless, all Riser could do was heal key organs and limbs

His left arm was still a stump and his organs had actually remained burning from the previous explosion to his system, then add to the fact the decaying effect Rias had inflicted on him had put Riser in a deficit situation

He had experienced fatigue before, not on the battle but he had experienced a lack of energy but he hadn't experienced pain to this degree, with each hit he took his organs screamed with the phantom pain prior to this engagement and that left him open for more hits

He became well aware that Issei was directly targeting his vital organs

"You bastard" growled the man lowly

"Hey! I have a father mind you!" Replied the teen before his head snapped to the side from a powerful but ineffective punch to the cheek

"Shut up mongrel" Risers patience was deadly thin, for the last minute he had been wailing on the pawn but to no avail the pawn remained standing with zero damage at all "why the hell are you so powerful!?" cried the Phenex house member

"Training idiot, try it someday" replied the quick witted pawn

Like before Riser growled "I'm supposed to be stronger then you, SO WHY THE HELL ARE YOU STILL STANDING!" yelled Riser before Slamming a punch into Issei's dragon skin protected gut, in return issei skidded back a few feet before brushing off his stomach calmly "is it really so hard for you to understand Riser"

Locking his angry gaze on issei "don't spew that crap about training! I'm more than enough to defeat you! Low class devils can never reach what I've obtained!"

"9 wins 2 loses, the two loses being related to political bull crap I can careless about while the nine wins however I do know about, I know about all the lies and close calls you had. I even know about the time you paid off the losers who were close to defeating you just so they wouldn't spew all the wins they scored before you sent that queen of yours after their king like some kind of guard dog" revealed Issei calmly

"Yeah, I'm reeeally jealous of that record of yours Riser" clicking his tongue he pressed on "If your able to feel confidence from defeating those lower then you then that only constitutes your own position being lower then the vary dogs you slaughter"

"But don't let my words hinder you, if you wish to boast that power it is of my respect to you – oh great and mighty Riser – to answer your arrogance with an force equal to your so called 'power'" finishing his rant he said but one word

"Dragon Force"

_**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM! **_

With words alone issei caused a cataclysmic explosion that sent Riser flying back and the ground to crater deeply, trees from all directions uprooted as the sky became covered in a red hue all the while golden electricity cackled all around the epicenter of the release

Within seconds the pillar of red light vanished and the lightning subsided slight, all that remained was a single person who stood in the center of the crater...

**-a few miles away, with Rias and co.-**

From a far away distance stood the remaining peerage of the Gremory house servants Asia gave medical attention to any small wounds sustained with the encounter with Riser but standing before them was Rias, a serious yet prideful expression laced within an expression of shock and awe

'_Ise, this is what you wanted to show me?' _the thoughts of Rias' inner words echoed internally but the effect brought on a memory

_-Flashback-_

_Rias had long since dismissed her peerage for a good night's rest, the rating game was tomorrow and she wanted them fully rested before the fight... but she felt restless_

_8 days ago she had experienced the butterfly effect that which she hated more the even Riser himself, and now she wanted nothing more than to plan the hell out of the events tomorrow_

'_All this talk about me being a leader but yet I still feel fear.. Huh, some leader I turned out to be' her self loathing thoughts subsided when she felt a rise in energy outside the rear of the building within the courtyard_

_Seeing as how her sleep was far from possible for her Rias allowed her curiosity take over and took to going were the energy signature was, traveling from her bedroom, through the main hall and past the kitchen to the rear garden door Rias breathed in the night air before she looked around to find whoever was releasing the energy_

_It didn't take much effort because just to her left was a large statue of the legendary devil Lucifer, but under the statue kneeled her new pawn Issei whom seemed unaware she had arrived behind him_

'_What's Issei doing out this late?' she asked herself internally _

_Before she could grab his attention a soft green flame surrounded his body causing her stop her actions, she had nearly been killed one time when she suspected him to be done his routine meditations so she didn't want to make that mistake a second time_

_But for some reason the green flames weren't violent, far from it actually, like a candle light the flames held a constant flow one that seemed more peaceful then deadly, a second after and the flames vanished which quite frankly disappointed the Gremory heir a small bit_

"_Buchou?" Rias was so lost in the memory of the green flame that she was surprised when Issei called out her school ORC title_

"_Eh?" Rias almost smacked herself at the intelligent reply to Issei's innocent (if she could call him that) question, reeling in her surprise she corrected her reply "hello Issei.. Training?"_

_The teen nodded slightly at that "Yeah, the jitters got me held tightly right now" _

"_You nervous at all?" she asked suddenly_

"_Not really... I mean I guess" issei tried to hide the nervousness he felt but inside but it was a lie and he knew she knew it "But the question is who isn't" _

_Issei turned to her and asked the question but it sounded more like a statement then a question "Your nervous right?" rhetorical question, thought Rias who simply sighed before answering_

"_Its' hard not to be really... this game, this fight of mine, it's not just to win but to keep a future I don't want to come to reality" feeling out the water so to speak Rias paused for an answer, getting non she continued "All of you have shown me great loyalty, loyalty I couldn't be more thankful of, then add all the strength you've all gained for my sake leaves me speechless, but the nervousness I feel won't go away"_

_Walking over to the bench to her left Rias sat down while pulling her night robe closer to herself "I feel all the gambles, the predictions, the contingencies I've come up with are all futile schemes inadequate to face against Riser... A Phenex" feeling doubtful and vulnerable Rias pulled her legs into her chest "I guess I'm not the true leader you think I am huh?"_

_Hearing foot steps come closer Rias looked up to see issei standing to her left while looking blankly out to the gardens contents, for a moment he was silent until.. "I think all those qualities make you just fine, nervousness, fear, and doubt... all normal feelings anyone can feel, kinda makes you relatable, ya know, me being a human once kinda helps me sympathize with those feelings in a way" _

_Sighing deeply issei pressed forward "if you weren't the leader you were right now, I doubt I'd been this strong" for a moment Rias looked confused to which issei noticed _

"_Think about it, after all that I've been through this week I've come to realize the kind of person I was a week ago, sure I feel still connected in a way but that's beside the point. All throughout this week I've been through a small kind of hell more beneficial then futile, I've had my goals all backwards or off center... in the long run I was a miss guided child in need of a reality check so harsh it'd make your head spin... guess who was there to give me said reality check?" finishing he looked to the surprised Rias patiently_

"_I was" she answered lowly_

"_Exactly, had you not been the determined and harsh women there, then I'd probably be off on some weird childish path fit for a B grade anime" pausing for a moment he turned his full attention to the women before him_

"_Buchou, I haven't really said it but... I'm really grateful for all that you've done for me, and Asia, if you hadn't done what you've done then I'd probably be dead by this point" bowing his head he gave his full thanks in complete oriental honor, Rias in return couldn't say anything but stare on in shock _

"_In return for your kindness, buchou, let me show you what I'm capable of.. let me take down Riser for you" lifting his head to look at his master Issei snapped his eyes open wide when he saw tears within the eyes of the red headed devil before him_

"_Uh, did I say something wro – oof!" issei stopped mid question when he was suddenly hugged tightly causing his face to be plastered deep in her large chest... a situation he had zero complaints for_

"_Ise, your all I'd hoped you to be" muttered Rias, seeing as how she wasn't sad issei chimed a small smile of contempt at a job well adlibbed, he wasn't a councillor nor was he this philosophical... oh how he wish to have been this good a year ago_

_Snapping his small wishes down issei grew serious again_

"_Promise me you'll do this for me" Started Rias _

"_You bet'cha, I'm confident enough to fully believe this promise already fulfilled... rest assured Rias..._

_...I'll kick that pretty boy's ass"_

_-Flashback end-_

Having the memory run through her head Rias shook all her doubt away and stood by proudly at her pawns display any doubt she had was long since abandoned and it was even more so now than before, Riser was on his last legs all the while Issei had just gotten a fresh pair to try on

With full confidence Rias stood by and watched the slaughter unfold

**-Satan's observation room-**

"This... this is extremely eye opening" started Ajuka, the Satan's had grown deadly silent prior to the engagement with Rias and Riser, Ajuka and Serafall felt every ounce of nervousness from Sirzechs, even Falbium felt it, then after that the first trap explosion shook them to the core, Sirzechs shook with hope that Riser would fall while Serafall shook at the violent lightning bolt created by Akeno's lightning, Ajuka just shook with excitement at seeing the plans and traps unfold before him

Again, even Falbium seemed to have woken to witness the plans unfold although he was more out of loop then the other three

Then after the tussle between Riser and Rias, adding in Kiba and Koneko for spice, the Satan's then started to watch vehemently when Riser finally engaged issei who with great surprise to the Satan's literally man handled Riser for a moment, words were traded but due to combat privacy they only saw jaw movement then the obvious trade of ideals and testosterone

The event before Risers tussle with issei was shocking on disturbing levels, the amount of killing type traps used on the man were disturbing, the one that complete gutted Riser like a fish was one that had actually caused Serafall to look away, even Ajuka closed his eyes for a moment

But Sirzechs however was more inclined to observe a rather odd instance, normally Risers healing kicking in the second a limb was served and he'd have it back within moments yet for some reason his wounds remained long enough for the pain to rise, Sirzechs didn't like the Phenex third son much but he felt pity for the boy at having to ly down in the dirt with that much pain coursing through him

Closer inspection led Sirzechs down a path he didn't expect to go down for a long time, red energy like embers littered the area's were Riser tried to heal, and it seemed the red embers fought against the healing factor the Phenex third son so proudly used

'_She couldn't have' _a moment passed before he remembered the small clash with Riser and his sister and how all Rias had done was just inflict small amounts of damage with the red spectral spears of hers – something he was extremely proud to see – Sirzechs had remembered well, and the sudden decrease in healing speed after that clash wasn't some convenience but rather... _'She really did' _

Being the most powerful devil alongside his friends Sirzechs had long since forgotten the ability attribute Rias was using, it was a long lost and partially forgotten technique that involved not just his mother and himself... but something much older entirely

'_I'm going to have to talk to her about that... really soon'_

Aside from his inner musing Sirzechs filed away the shock and refocused his attention back on the fight, one that which shifted to an actual clash between powerful beings, but soon after a while issei grew to out power the Phenex again

Not long after a trade of verbal bouts did things grow completely different, everything halted to a grinding screech at the sudden rise in _demonic _energy inside the alternate field and only the Satan's noticed it, something that not only caused Serafall to squeak but to also snap Falbium from his lazed and groggy disposition to one of complete shock

"Is that what I think it is?" asked Falbium seriously, an expression that hadn't appeared since the Great War long ago

Nodding meekly Serafall nodded "it is without a doubt, it's not devilish at all but rather demonic in nature.. Sirzechs, were you aware of this?"

"No, I haven't personally met the pawn yet nor have I actually seen his capabilities either, this is just as surprising to me as it is to you all" replied the red haired Satan calmly

"What should we do about it" pressed Ajuka seriously

Sighing Sirzechs answered evenly "from my theories I'm guessing the familiar relation to demonic energy he's releasing could be a mixture of his dragon aura and devil blood, so for now I'd rather remain idle to the power that lies within my reach... if however he becomes too volatile and proves to be like _them _then I will take personal action to erase him entirely, but for now... relax, I'm sure you can all understand the amount of interest I'm feeling towards this pawn of my sisters" at the calm yet serious words of Sirzechs each Satan fell back into their own worlds, Serafall fell silent and remained dormant but deep down her fear towards the pawn was ever present, Sirzechs could feel it, Ajuka looked to be planning contingencies after contingencies and Falbium simply fell back asleep not at all worried nor bothered by the pawns relatable aura to demonic pressure, all noticed by the red Satan himself

'_it seems change is on the horizon, first a ghost appears in the city my sister resides while before that she resurrects a pawn strong enough to battle Her would be fiancé with relative ease, then add her rather... disturbing development in power has me literally on the edge of my seat... I wonder what the future truly holds' _eyes narrowed into dark red slits Sirzechs sat back in his throne before he refocused his attention on the now interesting pawn his sister had brought back from the dead

'_You are interesting, issei hyoudou'_

**-With Sona inside key announcement room and secondary observation room-**

For what seemed like hours Sona Sitri remained in a state of complete interest in the final events of the fight against Riser, she had watched with bated breath when Rias fought Riser alone then she grew even more interested with the various other engagements that followed after it, the first explosion rocked the room not physically but more mentally and then the second engagement transfixed Tsubaki so much Sona thought the women would feint because of Kiba's involvement then she grew disgusted with the highly lethal trap used on the Phenex third son... such spells warranted caution on high preferences in other rating games but since Riser was an exception to lethal tactics the spell was ignored but that didn't mean it helped her keep the small amount of control she had from dropping in favor of her try to control her lunch

And for some reason Sona noticed Riser to be lacking his speedy healing effects, she had ignored delving into it as the fights that continued or rather fight was far to interesting to ignore

A small fraction of herself deeply regretting turning down the opportunity she had a few weeks ago, she had been well aware of Issei's 'fling' with a fallen angel and took measures to keep eyes on him but she had ultimately turned down the opportunity to grab a potential piece so to allow her friend to gather him as it was night time, if it her day however then she'd have every right to have claimed the pawn.. But now she really regretted the honorable choice in allowing Rias to take the boy into her peerage

If she had him after all the power he displayed against Riser then she'd be almost unstoppable, with almost no effort the teen fought off Riser once without activating his aura then even more so when he activated it... but now, now she was deeply worried more for Riser's own life then Issei's

"It's all on how long Riser can last then if he can win now" her final comment flew over the wide eyed Grayfia and silently shocked Tsubaki like a wet rag

**-Ground zero, with Issei and Riser-**

What stood in the epicenter of the crater sent shivers down all the observers' spines, bright green slighted eyes narrowed dangerously towards his intended target while red scale like patches sat comfortable on Issei's cheeks, chin, and forearms in a honey-calm pattern and a red aura danced around Issei's form like an unstable flame all the while golden yellow electric energy arced around his body

Dragon force wasn't completely new to Issei, as a matter of fact he had actually used it before, a distant cry from a defiant fallen angel could be heard in Issei's memories as the familiar weightlessness he felt before was now finally in his grasp again, looking down to the now present boosted gear gauntlet Issei smirked which showed his elongated K-9's before he trued back to the shocked and frozen Riser Phenex

Stepping forward threateningly issei spread his arms out before acknowledging the Phenex before him "this is after effect of training Riser, now do you see the benefits that I've told you about? Or do you still hold onto that shred of defiance, like a stubborn child" issei paused to see if Riser would comment but he got nothing, the pressure he was releasing was out powering Risers almost limitless arrogance

"Don't lose focus, don't even drop your guard not even for a second... I want you to experience everything I'm about to show you" lowering himself down into a deadly stance issei locked his slitted eyes onto Riser scared blue ones

**BOOM**

An explosion erupted from where Issei once stood but before Riser could refocus back onto his target he felt his gut get slammed with the hardest punch he had ever received to this day

Looking down he spotted issei entrenching his fist deep into his stomach, all air vacated from his lungs and all excess blood followed after it, a second later and he flew from Issei fast and hard enough to leave behind two velocity rings

_**CRASH!**_

From the punches effects Riser was sent flying past the wreckage of the main building and far enough to go through the secondary school building and land violently into the main plaza

Riser couldn't say a thing, the energy behind the attack was enough to completely override his regeneration and all he could do was breath haggardly, the punch had almost crush his vertebra and he was sure one of his lungs collapsed

_**VOOP!**_

In seconds issei appeared in front of Riser like a bullet and simply stood there watching Risers downed form "hurts huh? But that's what happens when you drop your guard" feeling his body being lifted Riser twitched at the ease his opponent had done it but his defiant spas was ignored and his vision was greeted by Issei narrowed red eyes "do you give up Riser? If you quit now then I'll drop you here and now... all the pain that's in coming will be avoided and the last of your pride will be left fixable" pausing he pulled Riser close so he could hear his answer

"Fu..ck.. yo..u"

_**CRASH! **_

The response he received wasn't a good one nor did it disappoint Issei, the fight for Rias' future was settled long ago but all that stood between Rias and her future with freedom was the stubborn will if a badly defeated man

"I'm I'm going to ask one more time Riser..." walking to Riser's downed location issei prepared to ask for the last time but he was stopped when he felt a fire ball impact against his head

A small explosion echoed outward but clearly the fire ball had done nothing but pause Issei in his walk towards the stubborn man "I will not... lose to the likes of you!" he yelled, a feat that surprised issei but since Riser's stubbornness to lose in the face of overwhelming odds probably helped him regenerate his ability to actually speak properly

In quick succession Riser opened fire with a multitude of fire balls the size of basketball, his healing had drained him of his devilish reserves and the haggard breathing he had cut down his focus to actually put meat behind his fire so all he could actually do was fire rapid pellets of annoyance towards Issei who simply blinked from side to side at speeds only a knight could have

Pretty soon the proximity of issei and Riser closed and to thank the Phenex for his determination the Gremory Pawn simply high kicked Riser hard enough to shatter his nose and send him flying back out towards the destroyed gym a few hundred yards away

_**CRASH! **_

Perhaps it was by blind luck but for some reason a single wall remained of the devastated gym to only serve as added insult to Risers painful flight into the gym area, coughing painfully at the effect the magic kick had behind it Riser could only stare shell shocked at the amount of blood that fell to the floor below him

"For an entire week Rias had endure the fear of losing, losing her own rightful choice to a future to some low life scumbag not fit to even have her attention" walking slowing towards the obviously defeated Phenex heir issei continued "she hid it well but after awhile things became obvious that deep down she was hurting" stopping just above Riser issei grabbed His throat and lifted him off the floor with the aspect of the rook

He had obviously promoted long ago, thought Riser fleetingly, but his unfocused thoughts were slammed down when he had the unfortunate honor to gaze back into the burning red orbs that were Issei Hyoudou's "for a long time I was angry, Buchou was a hard ass but that was only for our benefit, she acted tough to set an example for us to follow... But deep down behind that mask was a terrified women backed into a corner"

Smirking softly at the memory issei soon dropped it and glared hatefully at Riser "the reason I was angry Riser was not because of her and her outside personality, but rather what she was forced to endure... I've asked nicely but you responded vulgarly, then I asked a second time to which you throw my mercy to the floor and spat on it, so now I'm going to respond to your rude attitude in kind" after he finished the eyes on Issei glowed red but Riser interrupted

"Do... you have... any idea as to... how important this... marriage is?" started Riser haggardly

For a moment issei looked on in angered confusion, a second went by and he tilted his head, for a moment Riser thought the boy understood but that was easily forgotten when the eyes of His suddenly sprang back to blood red "sorry... I can't hear you"

Tossing the mature devil into the air issei dropped into a stance and primed his fists tightly when Risers body dropped back into eye height he unleash hell upon Risers torso

_**BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!**_

Like a high speed machine gun issei unloaded punch after punch at such a speed that his arms appeared like blur's, each impact on Riser gut caused a ripple all throughout his body then due to the force behind the strike forced all air and blood out of him it looked almost like a morbid fountain

It seemed almost like a minute went as issei kept landing high impact strike against Risers stomach and after another good 30 seconds issei finished by landing a powerful upper cut to Risers chin

"Let this be a lesson for you..." started Issei as he focused all his power into his left hand "... leave Rias ALONE!" after yelling his last words to the completely defeated Riser Phenex he channeled all his power into his left hand before he punched it out causing a massive beam of red energy to explode outwards... right into Risers direction

_**[EXPLOSION!]**_

_**VVVVVVVVVV DOOOOOOOMM! **_

"_**Lord Riser has been defeated... lady Rias is the winner" **_the announcement from the arbiter for the rating game sounded more shocked than anything else before but issei simply stood by and stared at the destruction he had caused, a blank and yet relaxed expression on his features

"Good riddance" muttered issei as a white light took over his body, he looked confused for a second but then he knew full well that after Riser was eliminated the game was over and now he was being returned to the real ORC club room

Dispersing his dragon force issei felt his teeth retract and the scales reside before he found himself in the club room among the others who very calmly eyed him with deep awe

For a second all was silent until issei waved at them "Yo" he said plainly, Koneko, Akeno, and Kiba simply shook their heads to snap out of whatever they had before Kiba cut the ice "who are you and what did you do with the other Issei"

Laughing slightly at the question issei waved him off "I'm issei Hyoudou, and you're still annoying... ya damn bishounen" it was Kiba's turn to laugh while Koneko simply switched from silent surprise back to stoic "he hasn't changed at all" she commented

Akeno giggled "that's for sure" she said before a voice echoed out

"Issei!" it was hard for Issei to distinguish who yelled his name but the sight of red hair... and the familiar feeling of her chest against his head explained to him that it was Rias for sure

The others simply smirked as the Red headed devil pressed issei closer _"thank you, thank you so much Ise" _muttered Rias in a whisper only issei could hear, smirking from within the women's bosom issei replied... to the best of his abilities

"No... Pro...blem" raising his hand up to Rias issei gave a thumbs up which caused the women to chuckle softly

For the first time in a week Rias felt free; free from a responsibility she didn't want nor desire and free from a future she deeply dreaded more than death its self

Now all that remained was what the future held

**A/N: it's done... heheh I'm free! I'm FUCKING FREE! WHOA!**

**After a painful wait the chapter is finally done, and I cannot possibly word the amount forgiveness I beg for right now, sure it's a new chapter but sadly its Issei's side story**

**I know I know you all want to see Isaac but let me explain why I'm following issei for a moment**

**I pride myself as a professional – sure I'm not really – but when it comes to creating tightly knitted stories that involve realism and constancy I wanted to not only to involve an oc into the DxD world but I want to cause a change effect inside the universe itself, and I'm not talking about future modifications I'm talk pre written changes I've made**

**I'm sure you've all notice but I've taken the liberty in modifying Rias a good bit (even the others I've changed as well) it may not look big right now but let me extend an olive branch to you guys so to warn you all to not underestimate the Gremory peerage**

**So for the reason I've changed up a few things prewritten is that whenever I look into the DxD universe I see situations that involve things like the Loki incident for instance**

**There sat four Satan's, two powerful fallen angels and one archangel as well as a Norse god, you may sit there and think that would've been enough to take on Loki and sure you may be 10000000% correct but for some reason the idiots at the table thought that maybe they should send pair of tits #1 and her peerage to take him on as well as queen redundancy (Sona) to fight a fight that would most certainly end them if the creators of the anime even thought for a second how fuck they really were**

**Oh but don't put much thought into it, I'm sure Loki would be easy with their combined force**

**WRONG, the Loki in **_**this**_** universe is a god and he will be... a god, not some Scooby doo villain wannabe seen in canon so if the peerage from the anime went against my version of Loki then Sirzechs would have to get up off his fat ass and pick up the bits of his dead sister himself, morbid yes but it's what should have happened, but for some reason the creators nerfed the hell out of Loki just so that weak ass peerage could win**

**It simple really**

**Then comes the fight with Riser, to which I will explain **_**why**_** it was easy and then finish my previous point above**

**So after drooling over the episode a few million times I've deduced that canon Rias... is a complete C –grade character not even fit for the B – grade, it's horrible, the plans she used against Riser was subpar and laughable to the god of manipulation, Azien**

**All of the choices I made for Rias during this fight was what should have really happened, sure I did make a special ability for Rias that countered healing abilities but there is much more behind that then just blind convenience (notice Sirzechs eyeing it) anyways, so for planning, it was easy. all Rias had to do was study her enemies plans and abilities and forge plans around then accordingly Riser is a popular devil, why not gather data captured on them to plan around their tactics? forget honor and pride cause when it comes to fighting for your freedom shit hits the fan on your accord so live with it, make battle plans that fall into your lap, if you guys haven't noticed but Rias' peerage almost completely wiped Risers team had they actually planned against Yubelluna who single handily neutralized Koneko, Kiba and Akeno**

**If they targeted her first then things would've have been 1000x easier but like a good dumbass Rias totally ignores it... then add the fact she broke formation and charged in to face Riser alone along with private useless Asia had me completely fuming at her stupidity**

**But things all add up before the fight, had they planned well then they would've been partially prepared for the slaughter, but it really added up to one painfully obvious flaw**

**Rias' dreadful training skills**

**Like when I watched the training I barely even broke face, it looked more like a light and lazy day at gym class with a barely competent substitute teacher with a wall nut for a brain**

**Jogs, push ups and completely pointless sword training –was that really necessary? - All added up to what the bright and smart Rias Gremory had thought of**

**DUUUUUUUUUH *falls over from brain aneurysm***

**It's almost like she wanted to lose**

**Well anyways aside from that I also had to poke fun at Riser's abilities**

**This is a character that puts all his faith into an inherited power and doesn't train a day of his life if you watch the episode where he beats the hell out of a **_**down**_** and **_**physically **__**drained**_** issei then you'd understand that he really doesn't have that much combat training; his fights are won by either over powering his enemies with numbers or by simply winning with his Phenex fire regeneration**

**I didn't change him because if I did then I'd not only be wasting my time with focusing on a villain neither of us care about but then I'd be humbling a character who's personality is that of a cocky brat.. To which I don't give a fuck about. All of this was to demonstrate the change in Issei's personality and to also show off what I believe a Longinus class sacred gear should really do**

**A simple sword has the ability to grant a wielder assured victory, if that's the case then what happens when a person wields the full might of the dragon of domination?**

**Not some pussy ass clothe shatter idiot that's for sure but a badass built to dominate any who stand in his way**

**I promised issei was gonna become a badass, and now I'm promising to change Rias into a strong and capable leader she was **_**suppose **_**to be**

**Then this adds up to my previous point, since Rias and every other character seen in the DxD universe seem to fall into C – grade characters not fit for the protagonist rank I believe it was absolutely necessary to upgrade then hell out of all of them**

**This is a group of characters who were chosen to hold off a god alone while the powerful characters continued to be useless, completely retarded with the canon versions but with the changes I've made will help bring a sense of "yeah that might actually be a smart move" into the previous retarded decision made prior to the engagement with Loki**

**If they're going to order them to take on gods then they need to be special characters for that to feel right**

**Luckily I'm doing just that**

**These characters I'm forging will not be those **_**cream-puffs **_**you see in canon**

**Anyways, I'd like to take the opportunity to thank everyone for reviewing this story, I haven't said it much before but I'm truly glad this story has attracted this much attention**

**No edits this chapter by the way **

**R&amp;R ya beautiful bastards**

**And in the mean time I'm starting the next damn chapter... and its gonna be involving **_**Isaac**_** this time, peace!**


	10. The hunt begins: part 5

**_ "Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money_**

**_they cannot be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with._**

**_its just that some men, just want to watch the world burn"_**

** \- ****Alfred (Batman)**

**-XxXxXxX-**

The rest of the flight from turkey airspace to the Romanian airspace was probably the most uncomfortable plane ride I had even experienced in my long lasting career with the church, due to the previous knowledge learned I was as quiet as a mute sloth while the other two seemed joyful to an extent, the two with me were more relaxed but they to seemed aware of my emotions. My thoughts were aligned more on what the horizon held than the childish joy the other two felt in their speedy ascent in rank from regular exorcists, to high ranking heaven division operatives to now full scale holy sword wielders in the span of a few days

I guess anyone without my sheer level of knowledge would be blocked by the bliss of ignorance to feel the same emotions they were experiencing and for a moment you may ask 'how excited are they?'

Well I would normally answer in a realistic manner then what you'd normally would expect, since the two before me were raised in catholic lives there forms of 'bouncing up and down in excitement' was much different than that.

Instead

Xenovia looked much more energetic then her usual self and she seemed more restless in her seat then before, and the amount of anger she had seemed to have been dropped slightly, a good observation was needed to even notice that and that was _without _me even using my abilities

Irina however seemed more her age then her stoic and angry counterpart, the engagement with Malthus at the Eastern Orthodox Church was almost lost on the pig tailed exorcist and her previous expression of confusion and hopelessness was replaced with a near permanent smile

I for one, was different

For hours, I remained serious, the added stress of the past events was weighing heavily on my mind and my current thoughts were definitely _not _on the holy sword indoctrination ceremony scheduled to take place after our landing

'_for some reason I miss the old days, hunting vampires and rogues seems so much less taxing then this' _it was a small sin on my end, laziness for those forged in divine light were not subject to simply lounging around but rather guiding or guarding some kind of objective

Didn't mean I hated the better days, the sudden change in events and added stress was extremely worrisome for myself, I had expected this to go along the lines of forting another attempt at war, find the culprits, erase them, then erase our presence entirely... Just another day in the Vatican's black ops division, too bad that wasn't what I got

Even now while we fly in controlled and protected airspace I had not relaxed a minute since my engagement with Malthus

When we fought, I knew full well that neither of us had used our true abilities but even with _that _on my side I still felt trepidation, Malthus was a demon and one that's skills and powers were long forgotten in the records, even heaven was disconnected a tad bit, I may have a trump card that has saved my life and the life of others many times but the unknown skill track I had on Malthus was making it really hard to put my absolute faith in my sword

It has been centuries since any real conflict was fought and even longer since a demon took the field, the only ones I knew who could answer my questions about Malthus would've been the Satan's or Azazel – one of the oldest fallen angels since the beginning of the great war – but meeting them wasn't a preferred path in keeping my cover secret

I have killed devils before, many I can confidently say were bad and vile, ones who were not for peace nor cared for what happened if war actually started... not to mention the ones who committed atrocities for fun

I have no regrets for destroying them but I doubt that would quell the devil kings wrath any less then what I believe he had

This was the base line of my thoughts mostly, confused and lost sentiments of a possible future and events forged in the simple emotion of doubt... funny really, you wouldn't expect an angel to feel fear and doubt right?

Well you would be right but after curtain events the eyes of use angels have been opened and with the death of our father – yes I'm aware of that! – left many of us experiencing emotions we were not meant to feel...

"_**I-I...Di-didn't...do...it"**_ came a cold voice to my left, I felt a cold chill roll down my spine at the familiar tone the voice had, for whatever reason my head turned to the source of voice on its own and suddenly my body stiffened when the person who spoke those words was Amelia who sat on the edge of the leather cabin seat beside me

Sockets devoid of eyes and excreting small amounts of smoke the ghost of Amelia smirked when she saw my gaze **"why... c-couldn't... you, Sa-save me?"** questioned the ghost darkly; the image that was the sweet girl was distorted and demented but soon, it vanished

My eyes snapped open a second later from the nightmare

From the looks of things all was the same, Irina and Xenovia still looked excited in their own way and the haunting image of Amelia was gone, it would seem somewhere down the line my body shut down causing me to fall asleep, it must've been the way I awoke as Irina noticed something about me that confused her

"You alright senpai?" she asked sweetly while tilting her head, rubbing my eyes calmly I sighed before answering "I'm fine, I just... remembered I have a plane to fly"

"Bad dream?" she pressed, I must have some kind of odd appearance going on

Ignoring her question I changed the subject "how far are we till we arrive at Vatican City airstrip?" I asked, Irina silently watched me for a second before she took the hint

"Ten miles tile we enter the protected airspace, about five more till the strip is in sight" she said normally, I noticed Xenovia glance at me before she spotted my gaze and looked away

'_still angry it seems' _from a person who had a female partner for twenty years I've come to understand that if they don't start the conversation then you don't push one on them, it just makes it worse

With that in mind I digressed the idea of talking with her to a later time, lifting myself from my seat on the jets passenger couch I carried my groggy ass over to the pilot seat and sat down, I didn't override the autopilot, we still had about a haft hour before we landed so I just sat there away from the eyes of the others

When I said we angels weren't supposed to experience curtain emotions I meant it, doubt, fear I could handle, trepidation was a small source but I never truly felt despair but the one thing eating me up was guilt

'_Guess this is what they meant, the more your around them the more you become like them' _I thought jokingly, my long time friends back in the 'white palace' always told me stories about what happens down in the human world

Most of it myths and all, one of them I believe even said that the longer your down here the easier it is to fall – Fall as in become one of the Grigori mind you – but most of us always had something about the human world, be it stories or jokes we always had something to say

*sigh*

'_Those were the good days' _I thought while smiling at the memory, the ignorance I had towards everything then was blissful but now I could actually say I missed those ignorant days

Did I wish them back? No, I was young and joyful sure but I was ultimately weak in the long run, I guess being aware of the bullsh_t around me was the small cost to pay for the strength I have now so no, I didn't wish to have my younger days back... I just fondly remember them as simple 'good' times

All I wished for right now was to be able to give Amelia's days back...

For a moment I simply sat there, mulling over crap I should move past before the planes air traffic radio sprung to life and a familiar commanding voice was heard on the other side of the line _"this is the Gendarmerie Air force naval intelligence command, code named 'castle', you are entering Vatican City air space, state your business or change course immediately" _

After his order three Vatican fighter jets apart of the Gendarmerie air force swooped down and positioned themselves in a triangle formation to our left, our right and I guessed our rear

Seemed my thoughts of the past are farther away now them before, lifting the jets comm's headset I replied professionally "I read you castle, this is Paladin of the secret Vatican division, requesting permission to land on Vatican airstrip 'Juliet'"

There was a pause on the other line before he started up again _"copy that Paladin, proceed to Run way Juliet, any deviation will be an act of aggression against the city and its safety, counter measures will be used in return"_ he said with dead seriousness, I guess the situation on the ground was more chaotic then I thought or expected

"Copy that castle, proceeding to runway Juliet now" I replied before I readjusted the flight plan and locked in the flight path to the designated runway, as I made the readjustments Irina sat in the passenger seat to my left

"Did you get us a ticket in?" she asked, ticket? Oh yeah that's right she hasn't been in that seat until awhile ago

"We'll be down on the ground in about twenty minutes or so" I said, didn't take much to know the info caused Irina to feel even more excited but I ignored it

"How's Xenovia doing by the way?" I asked suddenly before the girl sputtered off, from the way her expression went from excited to confused made me think my asking was rather redundant

"Oh... I'm not sure, she seems... kinda off right now" was her confused reply before she looked to me with the same expression "Have any idea why she's that way right now? Normally I can talk to her but so far she seems distant"

I nodded at her words and remained silent but after feeling a pair of eyes drilling at the side of my head I turned to her to see her pouting blankly at me as if she knew I was the culprit "it's because of before right?" she asked plainly

"Before what?"

For the first time ever Irina looked like a serious individual with zero flamboyancy to spare, obviously Irina and Xenovia were close in friendship and partnership was an important key in keeping them alive and as such, Irina had noticed the chink in Xenovia's mental armor and now she was looking at 'the new guy' to see if I was the cause of said disturbance

For a girl who lacks curtain viewpoints she sure can find the ability to do so quickly

"You know what I'm talking about, I've worked alongside Xenovia for about 3 years since we graduated and one key thing I've seen her carry with her all this time is her stubborn nature in not abandoning her allies... almost like what happened at the church in turkey" she said serious

She sighed before she continued "I may not get you to actually regret your choice but what happened may have hurt her, I'm not sure if it's the fact you can't really trust us as much but –"

"Don't think for a second that I don't trust you two" I interrupted calmly, Irina stopped and looked to me as if waiting for me to proceed, I humored her

"From the start of your graduation you and Xenovia grew into strong capable exorcists fit to take on not many female exorcists can face even with the best training available, your swords skill are both equal to that of a bladed wall of iron and your teamwork is accurate to near perfect synchronization... a lack of trust on my end is not what's important"

"Then what is?"

"Your lives... quite possibly... You think I'd be able to face Griselda again if I returned with two body bags when I had the chance to make sure that wouldn't happen?"

From my quick replies I could see that Irina was starting to understand my judgment, Malthus had said it himself that killing Xenovia would've been Childs play but since I took the steps in making sure she wasn't in his range had saved her life, weather she liked it or not

"I'm fully aware of the hurt I put on Xenovia but if I had that choice in front of me again then I'd take it, no regrets, no hesitation... besides, if she dies I do as well..." Irina looked to me with confusion before I finished with a smirk "ya know... being the substitute guardian of Xenovia and all has some... quirks" I finished while smiling slightly

I'm guessing the image of Griselda's wrathful anger passed through Irina's mind because soon after the confusion left her and in its place was a giggling teenager laughing whole heartedly into her palm

"She finds it funny..." I mocked jokingly while rolling my eyes before I mocked her laughing expression with my own "heheh... I sure as hell don't"

She just kept laughing, probably harder than before too

Don't laugh at my pain women!

"_Paladin, this is the Vatican city watchtower, call sign "checkmate", run way is clear, you cleared for landing" _the conversation I was having with Irina must've really killed the time

"Copy checkmate, on our approach now" I replied

Adjusting main controls I switched off main flight planes and took the reins, flying planes seems easy but since I was rather rusty the landing was much rougher than the normal landings the real pilots were capable of doing, I did learn flying over a farm house in the states a few years back, flying a luxurious jet plane was a little bit more then I could chew but since I was a man of action the landing was... substantial... to a point

_**SCREEEEECCCCCHHHHH!**_

The initial landing was a dusty and rough jolt in the plane cabin as well as the passenger cabin, and since I hadn't taken the necessary time to _slow _the plane we were moving to faced, however my landing positioning was spot on so the landing gear didn't shatter or blow out, instead a lowed screech was heard before a louder and prolonged one followed due to my fight with the breaks and momentum  
in a matter of seconds the plane slowed before it completely stopped causing me to release a deep breath I was holding

"Huh" I sighed "well that was harder than I thought I'd be" I muttered in a relaxed yet nervous voice

"S-senpai?" called out Irina's stuttering voice

"Yes" I said while looking at her, my expression shuddered in a fit of laughter when what I saw was rather hilarious

Irina sat frozen in her seat while white knuckling the co-pilot seat handles, some of the fabricant also looked to be ready to give out under the inhuman amount of stress it was withstanding

"Yeah... Laugh it up senpai" she said lowly while I tried my hardest to not laugh, about a minute and my hysterics dropped "I thought you said you knew how to fly?" she asked just as lowly as before

I simply shrugged my shoulders "we landed didn't we?"

Irina simply frowned at my vague response

Unbuckling me from my seat I stood up and unbuckled her seatbelt for her "don't be so cross Iri-chan, we _did_ land didn't we?"

The chestnut haired teen simply eyed me with a questioning look before I just changed the subject for her "Don't you two have an indoctrination ceremony to be at?" I asked before she suddenly widened her eyes and sprouted up quicker then I could register... that was easy

"Oh! Xenovia hurry up! We gotta get going!" she yelled out causing even Xenovia to suddenly gain some spunk in her step, not a second later and I was being waved at in farewell by Irina before she and Xenovia hightailed it, well Irina did, Xenovia just hung on for dear life, in a cloud of dust the two were gone leaving me alone on the plane

"Why couldn't I see that hustle in the field?" I asked myself, sure they were faced but they had literally gathered their stuff and bolted within a 6 second time frame... far faster than myself in a rush

After sifting through the plane for some of my belongings I exited the planes right side door before I saw a passenger carrier bus outfitted with Vatican class protection armor come striding up to the jet, from inside the bus came multiple exorcists whom with many bows and nods moved past me and into the planes interior

Standard security mind you, back in I believe the 50's a group of zealots from an undisclosed terrorist group plotted an attack on the Vatican, so from then on security sweeps were necessary – I'm pretty sure the jet will be taken apart for added assurance, the security response priests looked to be on extreme alert add the previous attacks effects kinda left the Vatican tighter then the pentagon on 9-11

Stopping one of the female nuns before she passed me I relayed a message "there are three Vatican operatives inside the storage bay, treat them with care please" I said softly

The female women about 23 years of age looked at me softly before she replied "of course father Blackburn, we will handle them well" nodding to her respectfully I treaded to the airport's terminal

**-XxXxXxX-**

The other two most likely waved a taxi down for them which left me back at the terminal, it was better this way since quite frankly, the indoctrination ceremony was a ritual I saw close to satanic worship –yeah I saw the holy sword ceremony close to satanic worship – as if mentioning enough wasn't good enough for ya

Anyways, the longer I took in getting to the Vatican was best for myself, the research used in making the ceremony work was such hypocrisy I was damned near close to knocking someone out the minute I heard about it, the higher ups sure did notice my anger towards it and on off shore instances the ones who ordered it sanctioned asked for forgiveness from yours truly

I did say only a few knew of my 'gift' but that only stood to those in field work, Griselda being the only but the higher ups however have keen eyes and with my rise in status and rank in the Vatican stood out to them well... then add the fact that after twenty years I still looked like I wasn't a day passed 19 years old rung _a lot_ of bells

So yeah, the pope and some of his archbishops know I'm an angel... after much explaining that is, and I gotta say for a situation like that one I suspected to be going back to heaven but luckily the higher ups remained silent on the issue... perhaps it was Griselda's sheer negotiating skills that kept them quiet

She always had a way with words I guess

Well since then I've become the sort of the silent parent in the Vatican for a good... 40 years? But anyways you can say that I was the one keeping the fanatics from starting the crusades again and there were _a lot _of moments were it did come close to that

A few promises of damnation there a little bit of all mighty pushes there and yeah... your welcome

With some time to kill I whipped out my phone and dialed a number via 'texting', I think that's what Griselda said it was?

A few seconds later and I got a reply... very surprising

_**Osteria dell'Angelo, window seat**_

I don't know why he has to be so vague about it but whatever

With a wave of my hand a taxi driver signaled me to his vehicle and I directed him to the obvious restaurant I was told to meet at

Within a few minutes I was dropped off at the four... or was it five star restaurant? But anyways the restaurant was located on the left of the road with open windows and raised security shutters, since the time was about 2 o clock the restaurant was moderately busy but since it was a week day the food joint wasn't as busy as you'd think

With the time I had inside the taxi I was able to change into simple urban clothes, light blue jeans, sneakers, and a black t-shirt with a black dress coat over top of it, with the top haft of my coat open my crucifix was visible... it was hard to explain my confusion when the taxi driver asked about the white flash of light in his back seat to which I simply told him I accidently turned on my phones flashlight function to maximum output

He didn't look fazed at all though

Handing the taxi driver a generous amount of money I thanked him before I entered the restaurant before he pressed the issue, from inside I took a familiar notice of the brown sleek wooden design, the white table cloths and red fabricant for chairs before I walked to the podium

"Is a Gesualdo in?" I asked politely, the man working the podium simply looked through his customer book before he nodded and pointed at a window seat to his right side

"Just over there sir"

Nodding thank you to the gentlemen I walked over to the table to meet a friend of mine

"I guess I've won a lottery today or something..." I started while catching his attention "usually making contact with you is a hassle and most of the time I'm usually I'm going from hunting one ghost to another"

From my words the young man that sat at the table smirked and then turned to greet me "nice to see you to Isaac... care for some chips?" he asked, he had blonde hair and green eyes but unlike myself he still wore his priest outfit then a normal set of cloths

Dulio Gesualdo, one of the strongest Vatican operatives alongside myself and a few others. I had met and befriended him a few months after he joined the Vatican 6 years ago... it was during the time Xenovia and Irina witnessed him actually challenge someone to a sparring match, namely me

I really don't think he's done that since

Oh and did I mention he loves food... like really, no joke

The minute he finds out about some kind of food his entire presents literally vanishes off the face of the earth, one minute he's beside you then the next minute he's across town eating the hell outta some creampuff delicacy restaurant

He may sound a tad bit off his rocker but his... hobby, wasn't all for his own pleasure, I guessed his previous church he was stationed at was the kind that fed only soup and stale bread and I guess it must've triggered some kind of vigilantly-esque persona cause whenever he'd return back onto the grid he'd have a variety of menus and cookbooks to stuff down the throats of all the cooks back at the Vatican

He would rather die than let the orphans back at the orphanage just eat that 'crap' all their life, so you can say the kids are kinda liven in luxury... he's a damn hero though

Ugh, soup and bread... even I'm sick of it

Nodding to him kindly I plumped my ass down on the seat across from him and sighed before he pushed a plate in front of me, from what it looked like I guessed nacho's was what he was trying today "long day huh?"

Again a sigh escaped me "you have no idea"

He waved his hand downwards and I quickly sensed a sound barrier sprout up around us, he was proficient in magic on a moderate degree but it wasn't his specialty "I've heard of your situation from Arndell before he... ya know, kicked the bucket" he started while I nibbled on the rather tasty nacho's

"Hm, what else have you heard?" I asked calmly, no sense in being shocked about it, Dulio was just as good as myself and stood head over heels among the others and I even remember him on station before me and the other two left for st. Paul's cathedral... I hadn't really acknowledge it before since, I thought it was gonna be another of the record mission

It wouldn't be entirely ludicrous for him to have been updated on the situation, since ya know, everything has gone to lunch – no pun intended – Arndell was known for forging contingency plans even before shit hit the fan... I gotta say it was a good choice though

"I was informed on everything, the theft of two Excalibur's not counting the one stolen from the Vatican and the ones responsible for do it" he listed off lazily, he looked lazy but his muscles were stiff and his eyes were narrowed slightly

I studied him before I lightly asked "and who was responsible? If I may press the matter"

Dulio looked confused before his eyes slightly widened by my uncharacteristic frown "if you think it was all fallen angels then your only partially informed on the situation" I added seriously and by his expression I guessed he was only practically in the door

"The situation on hand is far larger than a simple rouge platoon of fallen angels led by a simple hunch, I guess Arndell kept you out mostly just in case we handled this before it got out of hand, however, it is outta hand, that being the case I'm sure you're aware of our close watch on Kokabiel?" I asked to which he nodded

"We still have only guesses on that matter. Since you are the next in line on this as well as I feel it would be best for you aboard I'll give you clearance to this otherwise classified Intel" from his sudden shift in his seat I'm guessing my seriousness was enough to break him of his lazed character

Dulio was usually a laid back character and so was on in some cases, and not many can really trouble him to a serious extent, however for a while now I've come to realize my words can often trigger his seriousness to uncharacteristic rise

"Who was it then?" he asked

"Our first investigation on st. Paul's cathedral yielded critical information on the one directly responsible for the attacks on the churches... you are aware of the Excalibur's thefts, yes, but the fallen are only assisting in this endeavor. From our investigation –" Dulio politely stopped me by raising his hand

"Ah, who do you mean by 'we'? I was only informed of your involvement because of the orders you advised to Arndell, the other two were not mentioned nor listed as involved" he asked

Nodding I replied "the situation was at a dire panicle and Arndell's time was limited so he simply reassigned mine and Griselda's apprentices to the operation" Dulio's eyes soon widen in mild surprise at the ones involved alongside me

"Xenovia and Irina were involved huh? I Knew those two were good... isn't Xenovia a real holy sword wielder?" he asked to which I nodded calmly

"She is but her sword skills are not honed enough for her to wield Durandal without it taking her arm in the process" I replied evenly, still nibbling the nachos

Dulio nodded before he waved me to carry on "anyways, our investigation inside the cathedral turned haywire after some digging, turns out the cathedral was housing the Excalibur blueprint that which was also stolen" Dulio tightened his fist slightly before I continued "and get this, two rogue priests were also inside the basement, their objective was the silencing of a single survivor – failed obvious – two highly trained sword wielder's was almost over kill"

"After helping the survivor we dug some more through... The mess that remained, we found the blueprints holding cylinder but it was holding something different... guess what it was" I then left Dulio to his knowledge test

A good minute passed before he answered "I'm stumped, I haven't encountered any type of residue or trail in my hunting jobs so what _did_ you find?"

"Sulfur" I said plainly, sugar coating wasn't my style

I continued to eat my or his nachos while Dulio simply sat there staring at me with silent shock, his eyes were the only thing wide but I could tell the presence of the public was keeping him from destroying his controlled character

"Sulfur?" he asked to which I nodded while humming a sound eerily close to agreement

"His name his Malthus, the demon that incites war and erects pillars with weapons and ammunition... now you can understand the degree we are currently standing in, Malthus's title is almost self explanatory" I said, Dulio for the first time ever looked lost

"here's where we stand, currently Malthus and his small platoon of loyal fallen angels hold three Excalibur's and the blue print, the combined force in constructing those three swords would be enough to level a large scale city... that would be enough to not just aggravate the hornets' nest but full on piss it off and we both know that if that happens then the world would be sprung right back into a full scale war with three fractions were _really_ don't want to be caught in the middle of" I explained

"In other words, if this actually comes to pass then the extinction of not just all three fractions but ours as well" he said, exasperated, I nodded solemnly at his statement

"So, what are you going to do?" he asked

Sighing softly I replied "so far we have zero leads on where Malthus is stationed or the city he plans to wipe out, so right now I'm just activating anything or anyone I can get my hands on" Dulio smirked at me before he replied

"That includes me right?"

I simply shrugged my shoulders before I smirked at him "this OP is off the books and currently doesn't exist, the pope has no idea of our actions and all others remain in the dark; however, only a few know of this, that being Griselda and our two apprentices, while Claire is our information specialist... Arndell was the commanding officer but Griselda filled in those shoes quickly"

"So in other words, this is technically another day at the office... except with a whole lot of deadlines on fast approach" replied Dulio, his expression was serious and by the sound of my own voice I'm guessing Dulio's attention was undivided

"If only that metaphor was as messily and mundane as it sounded... but yes, with the storm looming on the horizon I've taken notice that three operatives against one demon isn't enough, especially when there's a possibly Cadre class fallen involved, that divides our skills dangerously" I explained stress on the matter was causing my eyes to cloud a little... ugh, so troublesome

After a while Dulio smiled "when my brothers and sisters are in trouble I always make the time to help but when it comes to stopping a megalomaniac hell bent on throwing the world into chaos... Well, were not just talking about my brothers and sisters but rather every innocent man, women and child as well... so in summary, you had me at 'hello'" he revealed

I smirked at his words "glad to hear it" I said with a feeling to a few pounds of stress lifted off my shoulders. With Dulio on board I'd say that our chances of winning was even closer than before, there was a line of accusation in the air with rumors of Kokabiel's involvement with Malthus's ultimate goal IE: destruction, we have files and documented records on physiological reports on Kokabiel, war is his game and death leaves no marks on him... he may see the fallen angels as superiors but he'd have to be an idiot to ignore or fight Malthus on simple fraction principles... if anything, he is either involved or isn't, either way my choice in activating Dulio was the best choice we had and strengthening our OP was the best choice to success

Before I could sit back in my chair while Dulio called a waitress over, my cell phone rang, taking the call I picked up the phone before I reared it away from my ears at the familiar terrifying voice on the other end

"_Isaac, where the hell are you?!" _yelled Griselda angrily

"Cool your jets Grisy" why the hell am I speaking like that?

I could almost hear the sound of a pencil snapping violently when Griselda heard the context in which I spoke previously, not only did I use _that _nickname but I also sounded like a street thug stuck in the 90's

Oh how I hate speaking before thinking

"_~Isaac, unless you have more important matters to attend to then I highly suggest you –" _I pushed the phone far enough from my ear at the obvious build up of rage, a second later and my choice was applauded by Dulio's thumbs up

"— _GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE NOW!" _when she's pissed, she's pissed... I was hoping the phone speakers weren't quivering at having to sustain that punishment

Giving it a second before replying I calmly placed my phone back against my head before calmly and politely replying with "Be right there hunny" then I hung up

I was so dead, damn you Dulio and your lazed personality! You're a Bad influence

"She pissed?" he asked

"You think?"

"I dunno; I put a sound barrier around you the minute you replied... Oh! And by the way, smooth" he finished with a simple thumbs up

Blankly, I stared at him

"What?" he asked

"Nothing... let's get outta here" with a wave of his hand the teen simply showed me a piece of paper before he stood up, it must be the ingredients to the nachos, he had a way with getting it that which confused me greatly however I dismissed it

"com'mon, let's face that women's wrath head on" he said encouragingly while we left the food joint

Instead of signalling a taxi like Dulio wanted I simply told him to follow me down an alleyway before I summoned a white magic circle to port us to the Vatican head quarters in record time, from the look on Dulio's expression as we appeared in my room I guessed he thought of porting like that in the opposite direct of good cuisine was a waste of magic energy but unlike him his hobby was his own and not mine

"Serious waste of energy doing that" he muttered but I ignored him

Before we left the room I summoned a second magic circle that replaced my urban clothes with my original priest outfit thus causing Dulio to look at me blankly

"What?" I asked innocently

"And they call me lazy" he said before he opened the door

From outside my room I registered the chaotic nature the Vatican security was having, since my quarters was located in the secret section of the Vatican I was close to the region of the attack, small explosion points decorated the walls and marble flooring while the human military group called the _Gendarmerie _hustled around_. _Each of them were trained and briefed to top secret information regarding the supernatural so the attack on the Vatican was well handled and kept out of the ever watchful eye of the public all the while the _Gendarmerie _remained focused and on task

"Things are more chaotic then I realize" I muttered

Dulio simply nodded before he signaled me to follow him "things were crazy, I was here during the attack but sadly I was the only one capable of fighting the two fallen leaders that came here"

"Did you get one?" I asked, hopefully I was wrong with the lack of leads and maybe Dulio was a life saver

"No, I did nick them both good but sadly they both ran away when their followers got what they came for" brushing by a security officer Dulio paused in his step before he turned right down the hallway, directly towards the archbishops office room

After a few minutes of walking and brushing by medical crew and fire men, each of whom worked for the Vatican, we finally stopped at the archbishops head office

Stopping before the door Dulio gestured me to go first to which I looked at him confusedly, he simply smirked "I believe you have a bomb to defuse before we go on to pressing matters, simply enter first, I'll handle the rest" he winked at me before I smirked and pushed the door open

From inside the _dimed _archbishop office I noticed Griselda first, standing over the medium sized fire place with a serious expression on her features and then I noticed both Irina and Xenovia standing over the table that was placed in the center of the room

Each of whom radiated a high dose of holy energy, the large cloth on Xenovia's back was evident that she had been given the largest Excalibur 'destruction' while mimic was given to Irina; it wasn't visible due to her obvious choice of concealing the weapon on her person then presenting it out right like Xenovia's sword

From my presence as well as the door closing the three turned to me with three different expressions, Irina was obviously as flamboyant as before, Xenovia was stoic with the small expression of anger present as well and Griselda was kind of worse than Xenovia

Anger and annoyance was her largest expression but controlled was the third expression and I guessed it was the only thing keeping her from rounding on me like a rabid dog

"It's about time you showed up, what took you?" asked Griselda, it took one small stare to explain to her exactly why I was so late

Before Griselda went to change the subject Irina interjected with her happy expression "Senpai, look!" she sounds like a child trying to impress a parent

_Grit and bare it Isaac, grit and bare it_

Gesturing to her arm she showed me a strand of rope wrapped around her bicep muscle "I got the Excalibur mimic... oh I'm so happy!" she's on a field day it seems, never seen her this... childish before

Smiling at her with professional force I replied "yes that's really nice to see, I'm glad you finally fulfilled your wish" I felt almost close to cutting something right then and their until the subject on Irina's fulfilled goal was changed back to Griselda's annoyed tone

"_Anyways... _I was meaning to ask, Isaac, but where were you for the last 30 minutes?" she asked, annoyed

"Filling in some gaps" I replied before the door opened up revealing Dulio standing in the door way with a lazy wave of his arms like he was addressing a crowd

Griselda's throat hitched and Irina squeaked while Xenovia looked genuinely shocked to the bone, Dulio sure did have a fan base it seemed... I'm not including Griselda in that mind you

I think

"Hello my sisters, how you doing today?" he greeted with mock enthusiasm... baseline cringe worthy

"Dulio-sama..." muttered Irina lowly enough only Xenovia and myself heard it

Griselda fought through her shock and looked quickly to me expectantly "where in god's name did you find him?" she asked

"Down the street" I replied plainly, if Griselda was younger – touchy subject Isaac – then I'm sure she'd have fallen over commercially at my response by now, even Dulio giggled slightly

"Your serious?"

"Absolutely..."

Giving up Griselda sighed before she walked away from the fire place and stepped over to the table that I finally distinguished as a large OPSAT station that showed the whole world map and many different comm's frequencies, she even had energy sensors activated on all seven continents, it's a long shot but at least they'd point in the right direction

"Dulio, can you lock the door please" she asked causing him to nod before he turned around and locked the door as well as add a few layers of barriers on it for safety measures

"Now... What do we know so far?" she started

Right to action it seems

Xenovia started up first... surprising

"We know now that the main opposing force is a demon called Malthus who's in league with a rouge party of fallen angels suspected to be a part of Kokabiel's forces, but sadly we have no evidence in confirming his involvement" she listed off seriously

"We have the targets but currently we have zero leads on what base they are stationed," added Griselda before I stepped in

"Has there been any suspicious actions taken on the fallen angel's side? Namely troop movements, disappearances... possibly deaths? " I asked, Griselda shook her head

"None at all, Claire has been watching out for any of those for the past few hours" replied the older retired exorcist "she hasn't seen anything out of the ordinary, and currently she is in the process of finding us a system that which we can use to track our next target"

"What's she planning?" asked Irina

"You know what she's like, when she's got a plan she works to forge it, so I simply left her to her devices without asking any questions" Griselda replied before silence fell

After a minute Xenovia piped up "it's more than likely possible that Malthus and his forces are in hiding, attacking three highly important churches simultaneously is dangerous and considering his forces strengths I doubt he has the man power to survive the Vatican's retaliation force"

"That's the most obvious route to think of, if you're a being who's soul instincts are military tactics then hiding from a looming force that could wipe out his easily is the best guess" again Griselda answered coolly

"The best choice we have then is taking the offensive, find an opening, and attack while his forces lick their wounds" I started causing Griselda to eye me closely

"Yes, however, with no clear idea of the enemies where about's we'd just be firing blanks or worse, we'd be firing at the wrong people entirely, Malthus wouldn't need to proceed with whatever plan he's cooked up because we'd have already started the war"

"I know that, and I'm not saying to grab the nearest blunt object and run at them blindly, foaming at the mouth in the process... I'm just saying that if we are going to do anything we need to do it now, Claire has a plan, and she's good at that"

"You flatter me father Blackburn" she said while pushing up the rim of her glasses, a sweet smile edging her lips

"I'd say speak of the devil but that doesn't really sound fitting" muttered Dulio quietly

Ignoring the rather funny jib from the room's comedian I smiled to Claire "can you assist us in the matter?"

"Just direct me and I'll see what I can do" she said

"How does analyzing fallen troop movements with the nexus Sound to you?" Claire reeled back at the risky task, she may have been following troop movements before we arrived but I was talking about the more dangerous and risky kind of eavesdropping, the kind that involves hacking into fallen angel comm's relays from their main headquarters, the Grigori, and follow their exact movements illegally

"That seems rather... off base don't you think?" she asked slightly troubled, the others, namely, Dulio and Griselda looked slightly nervous at the idea I had while the two 'rookie' holy sword wielders looked on in confusion

"Right now we're currently out center field so we could use any info possible to get us back on base" nodding, Claire walked over to the OPSAT briskly before she set down a small computer and plugged in a wire into the OPSATS main terminal controls

"Ok, no talking everyone... I need to focus, hacking into a supernatural computer built by Azazel himself seems easy on paper however you'd be terrified of the security he has" she explained, in reaction to her words we all remained silent

"Bypassing cryptosystems... breaching fifth layer security wall... now to distracted the security search AI" in a flurry of movement Claire tapped rapidly on the key board before she quickly uploaded a few files, I could tell by the massive words "UPLOADING" on a loading bar menu "now that the AI is discreetly distracted time to... bypassed *sigh*... I'm in" she said through a nervous but relieved expression

Dulio quickly tapped her shoulder "nice... glad to see those skills are as sharp as ever" he said causing Claire to smile albeit nervously, she had just hacked a HIGHLY defensive security system built by an individual who models and creates sacred gears... for fun, computer based skill wise, Azazel is a genius and Claire had just hacked his system, barely by the look of relief on her face

"Good job Claire... now can you display all troop movements for us?" I asked calmly, she nodded

"I will after I safely secure my spot in this theatre" typing quickly Claire began her defensive protocols in case the distraction she used against the AI did last "setting up cybernetic spider-hole, and... done... may not sound like much but I'm in and burred deep, it'll take a few hours for the AI to configure through that distraction and even longer to notice me... now about those troops" she said, more aloud then to herself then anything

Tapping at rapid speeds I can only dream of reaching Claire uploaded various details before she finished by tapping a single button, the effect was instant, the OPSAT's entire mapping system was modified with an entire world viewing map but what she added to it was a variety of red dots scattered all around the world each in large quantities to small

"Ok, I've uploaded a mapping of fallen troop movements within 24 hours, I even made it so it updates every 30 seconds" Claire explained to which I nodded, I smiled to her in thanks

"So now we just study the map until we see anything suspicious?" asked Dulio, Claire simply shrugged her shoulders

"Pretty much" Dulio leaned back in a chair he found and pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose in boredom

"How do you judge whether or not its suspicious or simply normal" asked Griselda as she eyed a clump of red dots closely

"We all know the fallen are based in the underworld so I took the liberty in marking teleportation marks with the Satan stars... as you can see" she started before she pointed at a small clump of red dots before they disappeared in a black Satan star "each Satan star marks the disappearance of a contingent of fallen in the region, it lasts until the 30 second update"

"Do you think you can drop the time to a possible 15 seconds, following a pattern with a delay of 30 seconds seems rather tedious to follow, we may even miss our opening" questioned Xenovia, Claire nodded before she tapped her screen and changed the update speed to the designated time frame

This was the majority of the operation we were conducting, all of us stood over the OPSAT computer screen table like hawks, each eyeing a large or small contingent of red orbs like they'd suddenly lung at our faces if we so much as looked away

After some time we all fell into continental control, I watched over the Australian continent while Dulio watched over Russia, china, and Japan, Irina watched over Britain, Ireland, and Scotland while Xenovia watched over Italy, Africa, and Pakistan, that left Griselda with Canada, America, and Greenland to her while Claire watched all of the Caribbean

The locations of the remnant fallen angels weren't as in large mass as you'd may think, about a dozen or so dots covered each continent and some of them were extremely far stretched out to be even considered as operating units, 500 miles of land covered the gap in between each dot, namely the ones in Canada and Africa while America had a slightly larger contingent then its fellow allies while Japan had a much larger clump then china, Russia looked to be holding a large quantity of fallen but that was probably because of the sheer size It had then the other countries

If anything caught my eye then it would be Japan, out of the five to six in Australia a good 10 to maybe 15 dots caked Japan, Britain had a good chunk but it seemed in the close 10's then what Japan had

"Anything yet" asked Irina with a bored expression

"I may have something; give me a few seconds... yup, definitely odd" Replied Dulio as he reenergized, I had noticed before when he seemed transfixed on a small location outside of Kyoto

Wheeling over to him on my office chair Dulio pointed at a small location outside of japans popular city Kyoto, a second later and I noticed a clump of red dots disappearing suddenly and without any Satan star at all

"Can you rewind the last thirty seconds and play it with a 2 second update time?" requested Dulio towards Claire who nodded and tapped away on her computer "done"

Refocusing on the location Dulio suspected we watched as five of the ten red dots converged on the location pinned then a second after they joined up they all disappeared without any Satan star marking or nothing, they just vanished into thin air

"Claire, lock the coordinates and prep a jet for flight... we have our window" I ordered seriously, everyone soon fell into action Xenovia and Irina walked up to me and Dulio who had also reenergized, the sitting was eating away at our energy and the thought of finding a single lead was the basic equivalent to a red bull shot

Claire had remained at the OPSAT terminal while Griselda phoned the Vatican controlled airport; pretty soon all four of us left the room and were on our way to the jet that Griselda was clearing for us

There was no time for goodbyes, a window was a window and it remaining open for good goodbye kisses seemed implausible... we needed to move

**-XxXxXxX-**

**-With Isaac and co. on route to suspected rouge fallen rendezvous point/ 1100 hours-**

"_So far Isaac I read zero contacts in the area, and the other fallen in the region are well enough away... consider the operation a go" _advised Griselda

"_I'll monitor the OPSAT and keep you all updated on the locations of any in bound fallen in the area" _added Claire

"_Your only objective is reconnaissance, keep outta contact with the fallen and away from view, do not divulge anything if your caught" _pressed Griselda

"I hear you Grisy – stay low and outta sight – I get it" I replied sarcastically

"_Just don't do anything stupid... and don't call me that" _

"Right... radio silence please"

"_..." _good, they got the message

"Senpai? You coming?" called out Irina as we approached the last known location, each of us had black cloaks over our personal combat attire, their duty was to keep our divinity and our magical energy down to unnoticeable levels, since we were outside city limits keeping our presence unnoticeable would help a great deal

Our journey to Japans Kyoto was... eventful to say the least, case and point being Irina's family lineage being brought up inside Kyoto then moved to kouh city about 2 hours drive from here

Anyways, since Irina was as energetic as she was Dulio found it funny and pitched in with a few questions of his own thus fueling the friendship between him and Irina to nearly skyrocket, Xenovia was more open to conversing with the Vatican's strongest but she still showed reservation in her speech

When we arrived about a haft hour ago we left the airport and immediately moved to the location listed, thankfully it wasn't close to civilian populated areas and it pretty much took the complete opposite, in the middle of no man's land disconnected from even the shrines was an abandon one about a few years old, probably 20 years

It covered a few square yards of land, probably the size of a football field, various buildings stood while others lay broken and shattered, only a large building and a small one to its right stood while many tents and field operating camps stood by them, there wasn't any physical sign of dark energy decay but I could _feel _it in the air

This was what we were looking for, the others may not know it but I've been the only one to fight Malthus on my own, I could feel his presence... fleeting but I could feel it was here about... and hour ago and I tell ya, there wasn't a single feeling of relief pass me by when I distinguish Malthus wasn't here for the party

Dulio may be on board but that still didn't quell the disturbed feeling I got when thinking of facing him

From the looks of things from our little vantage point up the mountain hill I could see that our presence was completely unnoticed when we slipped by them a moment ago to get where we are now

Dulio's the wielder of the second strongest sacred gear _listed_, his power –zenith tempest – wasn't a joke, like a god of the storms, nature was his ally, using the wind ability was perfect for masking any loud movements we may have created and get this

Zenith tempest doesn't have any distinguishable energy signature

Good thing to, cause if it did then we'd be facing truck loads of fallen in the middle of no where

"See anything" asked Xenovia as Dulio scoped out the 'camp' with a pair of binoculars

"So far all I've seen is small troop movements and cargo shipments... nothing the size of a sword, then again I could be wrong" he replied

I simply watched from afar with my own binoculars as well, the fallen below us seemed to be ignoring their powers and moved around like humans, no wings were shown nor was there any release in corrupted light, however, their attitudes towards each other were not human, yelling and swearing and poking fun at each other was practically all we could hear

Something confused me about that, no matter how much they'd try the nexus's computer system worked using advanced human tech and some advanced energy detecting magic from heaven, even if they were leader class their energy signature would still be seen on the OPSAT screen

"Something's odd about this" I started up, looking to the others I pressed forward "I can sense the divinity from the fallen down below just fine... so why is it that the NEXUS couldn't pick it up?"

Dulio looked puzzled as well before Irina added in "maybe there's a barrier?" she asked in return

"That's possible, some rogue fallen have been known to use barriers... But none were as potent as this one" replied Dulio

"You can thank our friendly demon for that" I added

Sighing to myself I stood up "were not getting anything from just sitting here"

"What do you suggest then, ask them nicely?" asked Dulio sarcastically; I just looked at him not at all troubled or against such an action

Fortune favors the brave ya know

"Then what's your plan?" asked Xenovia, first time she's actually talked to me since the shenanigans back at turkey

Closing my eyes for a second I felt a sudden fluctuation before I felt a pulse extend over my body starting from my left hand, opening my eyes I smirked at the blue berry before I was completely invisible to them

"What the? Where did you go?" Questioned Irina

"Right here" I answered from behind her causing her to nearly jump, she almost did but I stopped her by putting my hand over her mouth "shhhh, its only me, can you sense me at all?"

Dulio stood up from his spot and eyed the place he thought I was standing "you sure have a lot of tricks Isaac but no... All I feel right now is us three; I don't know what it was that did that but you've literally fallen off the grid"

"Then now you can _see_ what my plan is – no pun intended" I revealed, Xenovia widened her eyes while Irina did as well

"You're going down their?" she asked

Dropping my incognito mode I answered her with a shrug "Obviously, we aren't learning anything here as of right now so I was thinking a closer look was needed" I replied simply while Dulio nodded a second after

"Isaac's right, I haven't seen anything other than a few troublesome fallen walking around so seeing if they are actually enemies or not kinda helps things move along quicker, and I'm guessing that most of the action is taking place inside rather than out in the open" he said, exactly!

"I don't like it... with you down there makes things complicated if things go south on us" added Xenovia, whoa there sister! Where the heck did this come from?

Ignoring it I played her worry off calmly "things won't go haywire if we all remain as quiet as possible, keep radio silence and don't use any unnecessary magic energy... simple" I replied but Xenovia looked to be against my reasoning

"I wasn't talking about us, I was talking about you"

With the level of worry she was showing right now kinda flattered me and at the same time annoyed me, was I the rookie or was she? Hmm... I wonder

"Xenovia, this isn't my first operation that doesn't exist... I've been through thinker positions then sneaking around a few fallen... I pretty much do that every other Tuesday Actually"

Xenovia went silent for a second before she added in a line I was predicting "Then let me go with you"

Yup, saw that coming

"No, Xenovia I hate to sound like I hate team play but I've handle stealth operations before, and this isn't as bad as the one in Cambodia... so no, I'll only be gone for a five minutes anyway – in and out – no questions, no detours" I replied leaving zero room for argument

Xenovia looked ready to press it but a narrowing of my eyes stopped her, seeing as though my tone wasn't exactly helping me rekindle the wound in between me and Xenovia Irina chose that moment to agree with me in a professional yet childish matter

"He's fine Xenovia, remember he is our senior after all" she added with a friendly wink which caused the bluenette to hitch in her next words, it seemed the reminder was enough to settle her worry down but she still persisted

"What if _he's_ here and you have to face _him_ alone again?" she asked

"two answers, if he was here then he'd have already found us and we'd be locked in combat and the other would be simple, I see him, I pop a signal – second verse same as the first – ... I'm not soloing the operation Xenovia I'm simply the curious cat looking for a better view"

After my defusing words hit her Xenovia meekly stood there before she relented and nodded

"Alright... you two done your couples bickering?" Dulio asked which plainly threw me off guard while Xenovia took it even worse than I did, I did _not _take Dulio as the kind to poke at that kind of stuff

After Irina's giggle fit at the red that caked Xenovia's face the mood went from cushy to laid back within a matter of a few words

However I dropped that quickly

"I'm off" I said and before anyone could say anything or start another sappy chick flick moment I jumped down the large cliff and landed a few yards from the outskirts of the fallen base camp

Seeing as though my invisibility was disabled I reactivated it before I entered the motor pool side of the camp, why they needed a motor pool was beyond me as the thought of the fallen starting a drag racing shop was lost on me

A few seconds after sifting through questioning thoughts and I cleared my way into a camp tent to the farthest right of the main building and entered it

Confusion was the best word to describe myself upon discovering the contents of the first tent, aside from a single fallen angel all that was inside the tent was a drawing board on the far side and a few tables lined around the outside, a few blueprints were seen scattered on them

Moving as silent as air I walked/crawled to the closest table and scanned the blueprint

Vary odd designs it looked, some looked to be swords but nothing close to neither the holy swords design nor the described design of Excalibur, all it was, was a simple rapier and another looked like a shield... was that a captain America styled shield?

I shook my head softly, the title of the weapons on the blue prints were named 'shield of freedom' for the obvious shield and 'thruster buster' for the rapier... wat? That last one was... odd

Sacred gears... modified and artificial sacred gears by the looks of it, but why would Malthus be interested in having sacred gears?

'_Towers and ammunition, of course'_ if Malthus could arm his fallen allies with powerful sacred gears then he'd have a larger chance in his assault on whatever country chosen, but I haven't heard of any rise in sacred gear power as of lately so where did he get all of these sacred gears?

Ignoring those thoughts I pressed onward, when I arrived at one of the other tents I came across a few of the same thing, except instead of small arms I was looking at fortress type sacred gears, one like weapon emplacements and turrets, I didn't look at any names but a simply glance to one or two helped in completing my exploration of this tent

'_things look to be in the right place, everything here looks like it belongs to Malthus' _I thought as I snuck my way towards the second building to the main one, each of the tents seemed to carry prototypes of the sacred gears listed, long range, close range, fortress types and lastly... explosive type sacred gears as in ones that create big explosions for added chaos

Nothing says war then a few hundred bombs going off

Michael Bay would be proud

So if I wanted to learn more then I needed to broaden my exploration horizon and in order to do that then I needed to target the buildings and not the tents, since the second building looked to be a barracks I simply stuck my nose in their to see what I was hoping to see

Since this was an obvious tower of Malthus I was expecting to see a moderate some of fallen in the area but think of my surprise when all I saw was rogue priests and a few lower class fallen walking about and talking like they were close buds

A rather disturbing sight honestly

Diving to one of the corners of the room I stopped just about 5 feet from a small group of fallen and rogues chatting about before I listened in

"- so how's preparations going down in tent 3?" asked an obvious fallen

The rogue in the group simply rubbed his chin before he replied "close to finishing the final touches on one of the prototypes, but most are ready for testing"

"Good, I've been bored with just waiting around; at least now I can test out one of the governorstoys he's been keeping to himself" the governor? Is he talking about Azazel?

"Say, how did _he _manage to gather all of those toys out there?" asked another rogue to which a fallen smirked

"Ha! He made it look easy; he did a simple raid on his own about a few hours ago after he stole the last Excalibur fragment... all you see outside is stuff that fool Azazel hogged all to himself"

Ya know, for a bunch a beings who think themselves superior to the other two they sure talk too much... I was beginning to wonder if they ever talk about anything else other than their accomplishments

It was easy to distinguish the level of malice the fallen felt towards their former leader Azazel and the multiple comments also suggested to me that they were talking about Malthus as the defacto raider

It explains a lot actually, the sacred gears outside were in such large mass that I was wondering where Malthus got all of this without the Vatican's know how but with the words of the fallen helped me realize the sacred gears weren't the demons but rather stolen from Azazel

For some reason I knew that was going to happen, Azazel was a horder when it came to sacred gears, sure if one broke he'd get rid of it but if one show even a little bit of promise then he'd toss it to the side for further attention... attention that was obviously forgotten a moment he found a new project

I guess this is what happens when you leave your _toys _lying around

With all that evidence I chose that moment to leave the barracks, I had everything needed to confirm that this was one of Malthus' bases but just out of curiosity I walked over to the main building and glanced in through the window... which wasn't tinted

Security does help kids, be sure to use it well

We were cleared hot for action so I was tempted to rushing the barracks like a nut... would be funny to the see their faces when I come bowling in there sword a blazing but I thought against it

Xenovia wouldn't like that very much

Say I'm whipped... I don't care

DO IT!

Anyways, the interior I saw inside the obvious dojo building was a standalone command center out fitted with outdated tactics tables and city maps, a few fallen were seen inside the dojo talking strategies or possible mission objectives for later dates

Whatever it was, it was a gold mine of Intel just calling out to me

You got a map of highlighted locations for possible attacks, objective files on bulletin boards alongside the wall to the farthest side... I want it

Seeing as thought we had what we needed as well as our targets I smirked before I retreated back from which I came

Time for some payback

**-XxXxXxX-**

The others almost jumped when they saw me suddenly appear amongst them, Dulio seemed too look almost ready to fall asleep while Xenovia and Irina looked nervous... that was until I returned to which Dulio didn't move nor register my return because he _was _asleep while Irina and Xenovia jumped when I appeared before them sitting campfire style

"Howdy" I said plainly

From what I guessed the two looked the most worried... kinda a no brainer since they were the only two in the real world and not dream land

Before the two sputtered of greetings and words of relief I simple gestured a 'shhhh' motion with my finger which kept them silent, looking over at the sleeping exorcist I narrowed my eyes before calling him "Oi, sleeping beauty, wake up"

Groggily, Dulio woke himself from his small nap and looked at me lazily "Oh... *yawn*... your back, how'd it go?"

"Good actually, we have our target" I replied

"What was it that you found?" Pressed Irina

"I found a tower with weapons and ammunition inside of it... sacred gears liter all of the tents while the second building houses the soldiers in a make shift barracks... the main building holds a gold mine of Intel I'd rather have than them" I answered while Dulio rubbed his tired eyes

"Sacred gears? Where'd they get those?" asked Xenovia but then she figured it out herself a second later "Azazel... He's the only one known to have so many sacred gear users in his fraction, most of which artificial"

Nodding I added in my two cents "from what I learned from a few loose mouthed idiots down there, Azazel is not aware nor the defacto weapons dealer but rather a victim... turns out Malthus' has been busy raiding Azazel's secret stashes all around the world"

"I can only guess how he found the locations" Dulio said catching the other two's attention

"Kokabiel... The only other high ranking fallen angel who disagrees with Azazel and his leadership, he has most likely learned of Azazel's sacred gear stashes long before this even took place... the odds of him being involved in this grows by the minute" I added

Xenovia's eyes narrowed while Irina simply nodded to me and Dulio "what do we do now... Boss-sama, said that all were to do is recon and retreat when we learn what we need" she said

I simply raised a finger and shook it "yes that is true but only if the camp we find is a real legit fallen angel encampment... this one however isn't sooo..."

"We engage them" finished Dulio lazily to which caused me to smirk

"Exactly, there is literally a gold mine of Intel about whatever Malthus is planning just down there; I only counted about, hmm, fifty or so targets down below? Some fallen and some rogue priest – give or take"

The others looked ready – minus Dulio's bored shrug of his shoulders – and seeing as how we didn't need to worry about being hidden from the eye of the public things would go by much smoother

The others, namely Xenovia and Irina took to readying themselves for the attack, we still kept our black cloaks on just to keep the element of surprise but those would be disposed of the minute we started the attack

"So what's our plan?"

"simple, most of the troops are right now in the barracks eating and being lazy, to save us time in killing the vermin in masses we'll simply bury them away... Dulio?" I started before I caught the aforementioned blonde's attention

"When you can, I want you to level the second building to the main dojo" with a simply lazy nod Dulio understood his objective and stood on standby "when he destroys the barracks I'll have already infiltrated the dojo"

"What's our objective?" asked Irina

"You and Xenovia are on 'crowd control'... my exploration revealed to me that a variety of fallen are scattered around the camp inside the tents and some even outside the camps limits – possibly scouts or guards – neutralize them first before you enter the camp, radio silence is off the minute you two handle the sentry's on the outside perimeter, once they're down call it in... oh, and keep it quiet, I'd rather be in and out as fast as possible so our element of surprise is our best ticket in achieving that" stopping I pointed to Dulio seriously "the minute they call in, destroy the barracks completely"

Seeing him smirk lazily and then nod I nodded to him as well

"You know your rolls, no radio comm's until we go live... dismissed"

After the briefing we went in two different directions, Xenovia and Irina moved quickly and silently to the shrines main entrance way while me and Dulio went the opposite way towards the rear of the shrine, close to the two main buildings

The strategy and style I was using was what humans call 'guerilla warfare' with our lack of numbers I was resorting to stealth tactics and easy takedowns since taking on the fallen head one was time consuming, so I chose the efficient and quickest style of engagement possible, the thought of Malthus returning was in the air due to this possibly be his main field operation tower but since I didn't really know any others that was a skeptic thought then a fact

Still had me on my toes though

After some sneaking Dulio waved me goodbye before he continued to his target while I stopped and waited for the radio silence to break, from my spot in the bushes behind the main building I watched as the fallen inside the dojo building walked about before I closed my eyes and activated my invisibility

With my form completely translucent I began to walk over to the dojo's exterior wall, with a silent leap I cleared the 6 foot outer fence with ninja like silence and acrobatic ease before I ducked behind a bush on subconscious instinct, from inside the garden I took notice of a few paths of destroyed concrete and two koi fish ponds... vacant obviously, the shrines entire appearance looked to have seen better days on its past worse days

In all, the entire shrine was a clear representation of what nature does to human constructs... in a minute that would actual be demonstrated

Seeing as though the backyard was empty I made it to the main buildings rear entrance way with ease however a few fallen angels guarded the entrance way, that being two in total

With a swipe of my hands two kunai blades made from white energy were seen in my hands, the sudden appearance of divine energy caught one of the fallen's attention but with two quick swipes of my hands...

_**THUNK, THUNK**_

...Kept him and his friend from reporting the anomaly

Time dropped to a crawl as the two dead fallen angels fell towards the rough ground before them but with a sudden jolt in movement I managed to appear under them so to catch them before they made any loud landing noises

Slowly and methodically I placed the two rather light fallen against the dojo's walls slowly enough to not cause any loud noise, then when they were dealt with I scanned the next room

I could wait for the signal but if I could manage to infiltrate the building before the radio silence was broke and all hell broke loose then things would take less time

Within a second I resented to simply clearing the next room

Reactivating my previously deactivated invisibility, I entered the room to see three rogue priests within the rooms out layering interior, mental mapping told me the main dojo room was outside the room, down the hall and straight ahead

Since these priests lost their ability to sense divine energy with their desertion two of them were unaware of the sudden appearance of three floating white Kunai's while the third one quickly noticed in his peripheral vision... I took him out first

_**THUNK**_

With a loud thud, the corpse of the third man fell which caught the attention of the other two quickly, too bad they were taken down just as quickly as the first one

Seeing as though one of them was looking to run I lodge a white kunai into his forehead, killing him instantly, the last priest was ballsier then his friend and instead took to closing the distance between me and him

He'd regret doing so later

The priest looked to be hand- to-hand knowledgeable as he came at me in a modern martial artist styled palm thrust to my chest however I reacted by catching his wrist mid air before I ducked under his arm while simultaneously twisting his arm, with his arm twisted I then kicked out his right leg causing him to kneel before I finished him off by jabbing my last kunai into the crook of his neck

He fell over dead a second later

'Now I can wait for the signal' I was quite honestly wondering why it was taking them so long until I remembered that it took me only a few seconds to clear these two locations

'_Sometimes_ _skill can have negative effects' _I muttered internally as I looked at the rooms interior and its contents... hmm, nothing really important, ground patrol listings and schedules was all that was scattered around the room, I guess three rogue priests was all they need to keeping organized

As I dropped down into one of the rooms many chairs I waited until after a minute, my ear piece sprung to life with the awaited report "we're clear in the front"

It always amazes me at how quick silence could be so suddenly disturbed, I wasn't one that enjoyed the sudden vacuum of noise to suddenly appear but the speed that which chaos could take hold was something else

_**BOOOOM**_

Glancing out the rear door and towards the barracks to see what Dulio did I almost felt pity roll down my sleeve when I saw the entire barracks building completely burying down to the roof, any and all oxygen would be snuffed out in minutes as instead of earth rising to bury the building the building instead sunk down until only the roof was visible... albeit barely

'_Poor heretics' _I thought absentmindedly

Extending my left arm outward I summoned my Zetsurin sword in a flurry of white light before I trod to the door towards the inner courtyard of the dojo building, with the sudden spike in energy you could bet the nest was agitated and judging by the large sum of rogue priests outside the door they had felt mine rise as well

So much for subtly

Jabbing the pummel of my sword against the soft fabric of the door in front of me I pulsed my energy before the door suddenly lurched forward at high speed

From outside, the sound of a sudden yelp resounded as the sight of a door suddenly flying at you at high speed could shock a lot of people, in response to the sudden occurrence the other rogues simply returned their gazes back onto the room that which the door came

In quick succession the other priests quickly armed themselves with whatever weapons they had on hand, ranging from automated rifles, shotguns, and lastly others had hand guns with knives

"Nock, nock" I muttered before I tossed my black cloak to the side to reveal my full body, at the sound of my words the remaining rogues opened fire but my speed outclassed even bullets

At speeds I could only reach, two of the six rogues fell with sudden wounds to the torso and neck, then in another flurry of movement a third fell with similar wounds

"Open fire! Take him down NOW!" yelled one of the rogues

As I torn my way into their ranks more rogues flooded into the courtyard of the dojo... which was surprisingly well kept

Seeing as though the numbers of rogues was steadily growing I got more exotic in my crowd control, with one swipe of my hand a white kunai embedded itself into the skull of one of the ranged rogues before I landed among the epicenter, the effect was immediate

Seeing a fellow ally fall is angering and since these fools hand enough of that, the fellow friends and or allies of the armed – now dead – rogue saw only red... which was what I wanted

If one were to actually see the behaviours of the rogue priest then the reference that would effectively characterize them would be the 'Decepticons' from that 'transformers' series, they related well, all with the friendly fire and uncaring personality of a raging beast as seen when I landed in front of a few close quarter specialists the armed rogues didn't so much as hold fire but simply shot at me

I dodged a nano second later thus inadvertently causing a total of 4 casualties, courtesy of friendly fire from those down below

I paid my respects to their heartlessness by landing among them... I'm sure you know where that song and dance leads

With movements untraceable by regular humans the armed rogues quickly fell from lethal slash wounds to the neck, spine and torso before they all fell in sync with the other 5 kills in five seconds

The courtyard was now full with more dead than alive by this point and the last remaining few seemed all the more interested in fleeing then fighting

However, survivors was not what I intended

Getting low I slowly placed my hand on my sword before a second later I jolted forward, appearing behind the rogues who looked ready to run

From my spot behind the frozen rogues I kneeled while I sheathed my sword, as soon as my blade clicked into the scabbard the rogues fell, dead... all six of them

"_You done in there Isaac?" _asked Dulio lazily _"Xenovia and the others seem to be in a bind outside... help 'em out would ya" _

"I'm on my way" I replied calmly, my cold exterior was taking full effect so I paid no heed to Dulio's lazy orders as much as I normally would

Walking briskly to the door to the front I stopped when two fallen angels appeared behind me, each holding light spears... well one did, the other one looked to be holding a light sword, green in color

Since I was 'in the zone' I didn't question the odd colored light sword and simply turned towards them while off handily unlocking my sword. I remember the effect this had on the fallen angel Kalawarner and by the similar reactions by the two before me this was much more then doubt

"So he's the one Malthus was talking about" Muttered a fallen lowly, not enough for me not to hear it seemed

"Paladin of light..." the other muttered as well, fear was really evident in these two

"Sorry Dulio... I'll be a second late" I reported calmly, all I got a was defeated but uncaring sigh in return

"_Some of the fallen outside have armed themselves with sacred gears, the quicker you deal with the problem the quicker we can learn what we need, __**without**__ any more guests"_ reminded Dulio

"Mhm" was my easy reply

With a simple gesture I taunted the two fallen with a 'come get me' wave of my right hand, the effect was delayed for a second but soon enough the two fallen fell into a formation

It seemed whatever they thought of was enough to refill their confidence because in a second the spear wielding fallen shot his – rather slow – spear at me while the sword wielding fallen followed seconds after

I have no idea what they thought this would do

As the light spear and the second fallen closed in I dropped to a responsive stance before I shot forward I blur of bright flashes appeared on multiple locations on the light spear before it shattered due to high damage, the fallen following then happened to be the second victim of my blade storm because a second after the light spear shattered the fallen lost his head, torso and legs in an instant

All he had on his flying head was shock

Without paying any mind to the falling body I sped directly in front of the last fallen who was way to shell shocked to respond enough in time for my upward slash,

"GAH!" he garbled as a massive gash appeared on his torso from his right hip to his left shoulder

***Click* THUD!**

I stared lazily to the fallen before I sighed "If only those three showed this much teamwork" I muttered disappointedly

I was referring to the fallen angels under that other fallen angels command, Rayner was it? Or was it Raynear? Ah it doesn't matter; all I remember about those other three was lazy attacks and poor defenses all around, no real challenge, at least I had to process what these two were doing

Turning back to the intended pathway before I was interrupted I stepped out the main door to see a few fallen angles – about 7 – dancing with Xenovia and Irina who did _not _look in trouble at all

If anything, I may as well jump in on the fallen's side and turn this into a small sparing match, from the looks of things, the holy sword indoctrination – damn it to hell – was enough to upgrade both Irina and Xenovia's basic combat prowess by 40%

Not that I'm a statistics freak but previously I estimated the two's skills to handle a margin of about 10 mid to low ranking fallen with each of the others skills via teamwork but now it seemed that evaluation was shattered

Now the two looked like they could dance with a low ranking leader class solo while they could take on a mid to high class leader with each other... at maximum power of course, if they did that then there'd be no room for holding back

Speed, strength and combat analysis was the basic limits of the holy sword projects effects and it seemed Xenovia was handling them with extreme efficiency, Irina was close behind but she wasn't a real holy sword wielder like Xenovia but to see her close in skill even without that fact was enough merit to her skill

"They've gotten better haven't they?" Dulio asked from above me, he was lazily watching the fight from the roof of the Dojo while I simply watched from the door way

"Mmm" I hummed in dismissive agreement

"I see your not liking the change vary much" he said but I intervened

"Their growth in skills is inevitable, I just don't agree with the method in which they achieved it" I replied quickly

"You mean you don't like the holy sword indoctrination?" Dulio asked in lazy shock but soon he remembered something about it "wait; now I remember"

"I've told you the specific's in which this... '_Gift' _was achieved, how innocent life was spent so carelessly" I added, much malice dripping at the mention of it

"The heretical sacrifice of young children, all for the cause of some kind of 'greater good'... yeah, I remember" I could hear it in his voice, the reminder of what was done to reach this 'historical achievement' was not at all liked by Dulio, sure, before he thought it as miracle working at its best but after he learned of the mud in between the cracks... he dropped any interest in it

"What's keeping you from speaking outwardly about it Dulio?" I asked as I watched Irina end two fallen in record speed while Xenovia hit another so hard that he went rocketing back into a tent, inevitably causing it to crash down on the obviously dead fallen angel

"As much as I hate the method, I cannot truly hate it per-say"

"Oh? Do tell the class" I pressed

"We both know the cost this project had right, but simply ignoring those sacrifices would be even worse, those poor souls that were killed did not die in vain and instead forged a weapon we could use... to honor them" reasoned Dulio

His words sounded harsh but that was because no matter how evil that disgusting project brought there was still a positive outcome in the end... no matter how much we both wanted to strangle it

I remained silent, his words may bring me a small sentiment of peace but it still did not quell my anger towards the process, Dulio fell silent after a while and soon enough the other two finished the fallen with a few minutes

"Why didn't you two help us?" asked a narrowed eyed Irina who seemed not at all tired

Dulio chuckled lightly while he jumped down from the roof "You two seemed content with the spotlight, so me and Isaac simply left you two ladies with your business" he said calmly, Irina didn't really respond after that

"Is the main building clear of heretic's?" Xenovia asked suddenly

"I don't know, why don't you ask them?" I replied while opening the door to show them the contents of the room, Xenovia looked insulted by my snarky response but remained silent

"When they say you cut loose you really cut loose" muttered Dulio as he found a chair and sat in it

"Was that a shot at a horrible pun or a comment?" I asked mocking a sour pout

"Dunno, why don't you ask _them_" He said simply while pointing at a dead fallen angel

Irina chuckled while Xenovia smirked – planets are in alignment – at Dulio's shot at my previous sarcastic reply to Xenovia

"And whose side are you on?"

He didn't answer; all he did was shrug causing Irina's fit of giggles to increase

Some how... I feel like some characteristic of mine was destroyed... not sure which one though

Picking up a folder of Intel I tossed it to the smart ass who caught it easily "why don't you read through that while I sift through the stuff on that bill board" I recommended, he simply smirked before he opened it

Sighing softly I walked over to the bulletin board while Xenovia and Irina sifted through a whole box load of folders

Whipping out my phone I opened the photo function before I started to snap pictures of the map spread out on the wall, it seemed like a large scale map of all of Japan. Tokyo, Kyoto, Yokohama, Osaka, and finally Nagoya were all circled on the map. Since the map was convoluted with Intel I installed it into a message and sent it to Claire for decoding

While that was sent I inspected the map closely, I read of some parts of the major cities and some nip bits about the information on why it was listed as 'hit targets'

So far though, the information mapped on the board seemed more cryptic then understandable, I could decode it myself but that'd take a while to finish but since we had a feeling more company was coming I thought against it

However, a single set of letters caught my eye THE WAR RISES HERE

After I saw those words I shifted my attention towards the location of the map and read details on where and possible time it may take place

I didn't find the information, however I did find the city the 'war' would start... guess which one

Kouh city

'_Balls...' _I muttered internally

I don't understand why but for some reason or another, _that _city seemed to be some kind of action magnet... do you know how long I've waited for a Youkai attack or something to happen anywhere other than Japan?

20 years, that's what!

Not saying I don't like Japan but I've spent enough time in oriental society that if I ever return to heaven I'd be asked to recreate my citizen ship from 'pure angel' to 'Asian angel' due to my aura alone... I've even started using those blasted honorific's for god's sake!

"Find anything guys?" Dulio started, bored of reading

Well, beggars can't be choosers right? Resigning to the fate presented to me I answered "I've figured out our next stop"

The others looked at me before I simply pointed at the map in front of me; Dulio smirked when Irina's eyes sparkled in a dangerous yet happy way while Xenovia looked confused by the sudden change in atmosphere

"Kouh city... wait, isn't that where you were raised Irina?" Xenovia asked much to the fuel of Irina's energy, both angered and happy

I can guess two reasons... can you?

"Yes it is! ~oh this must be a message from Gods wisdom~" started Irina while she prayed with stars in her eyes, Xenovia looked happy – vary hard to see by the way – at her friends sudden rise in joy while Dulio seemed intent on letting her roll around in happiness

He turned to me a second later "is that all we need?" I simply nodded in return "Good, let's get outta here"

While the others left I grabbed a few folders of information, seeing as how they were marked 'classified' I guessed their importance was substantial to further investigations into Malthus' intentions, I doubt kouh city will actually be his one and only attempt at war, there are many ways to fuel a war and Malthus was good at everyone of them so you'd bet your ass his attempts won't grind to a halt with this one being foiled by us

Before we left the camp, I ordered the others a swift evidence erase order, fire spells and since Dulio was the most fit in the matter he simply waved his hand and the entire camp was extinguished to ash, I knew he was powerful but his powers were very high up in the power range, I highly doubt Dulio would've had trouble in handling this encampment alone... with his eyes closed

With our presents concealed via our cloaks – to which I retrieved – we retreated back to Kyoto city for regroup, I still needed a call back from Claire so we could calm down and recollect our objectives inside the populated city as cover

Next stop... kouh city, again

**-XxXxXxX-**

About an hour or so later we found ourselves back in Kyoto city, since the time was around 12:30pm many of the cities lights were in full blaze and a lot of the cities people were around in oriental clothing, since we had just left the woods we still had our black cloaks on so our normally odd appearance was actually a normal sight for some people

Didn't mean some parents thought us as the type to stay away from

"So where do you want us to regroup?" asked Irina

I simply pointed at the nearest cafe' "we'll simmer down in the cafe' over there, I can almost assume our next stop won't vanish by morning so you to grab a seat, me and Dulio will find a hotel for us to stay the night"

Now Irina may be extremely excited but to her, staying a night in a four to five star hotel in one of japans many cities – quiet popular one mind you – was almost like a Christmas present to her

If the stars in her eyes were any indication then I'm not sure what would please her

"~oh senpai! You're so awesome~" she gushed before I was enveloped in a tight child like hug, one that surprised me and one that Dulio saw as somewhat hilarious

"Uh... Thanks?" I replied before she let me go and grabbed Xenovia in a flash before dragging the blue berry away towards the cafe'

As the girls left I glanced to the grinning Dulio who looked about ready to say something along the lines of teasing but I stopped him "Don't even think about it" I warned lightly before I walked off, Dulio following in toe

As we walked among the populous of people I spotted a nice hotel to our left, I didn't really register the name of the hotel but all I knew was A) it was at least luxurious enough for comfort and B) it was oriental, I doubt I'd get a welcoming praise if it was a Holiday Inn or something too touristy from the western culture

As we made our reservations Dulio plopped down on a chair while I got us our rooms, one for the girls and one for us guys, none of that coed shite on this OP

While the arrangements were being made I couldn't help but remember the times back when Griselda was retired, Grisy may be terrifying to the other two and possibly to Dulio for an extent but she did have a downside when you got to know her... didn't change the awkwardness I had when we had to share a hotel room for the first time

Oh the death glares were in abundance back then

I can't count the amount of times she almost swung her damned sword at me for close calls, it wasn't my fault she had a habit in walking outta the bathroom naked all the bloody time

Still was hilarious though

After a while I'd just tease her, if you're wondering where the nickname 'Grisy' came from then imaging a angry grizzly bear ready to maul you to death... you'd get close as to how violent Griselda is when her decency was in jeopardy

I did tell her –for the hundredth time- to put cloths on _before _she left the bath room... she didn't get the hint

"Isaac?" called out a voice, thus snapping me from my day dreaming

"Huh?" I asked plainly before I saw Dulio waving his hand in my face, shaking my head I pushed his hand from my grill before I noticed the four room keys on the desk, I nodded to the maid before me I glanced to the confused Dulio

"Tired?" he asked to which I just shook my head

"Nah, just rehashing good memories... one can get lost in them" I replied before he just shook his head

"You got us rooms then mister day dreamer?" he asked smartly

"I got us adjoining rooms near the inner most courtyards" Dulio whistled

"You really think that was necessary for one night?" he asked to which I shrugged "blank checks on operations are bad influences, but I always think it's good to live life to the fullest... Besides, after my first OP a few years ago I've sort of found a new found dislike to small and cramped hotel rooms"

"Right... anyways, is the regrouping gonna be important?" he asked calmly before he yawned and I knew full well what he was asking

"Not really so you can stay and sleep Dulio" I replied lazily

"~oh senpai your so—"

"Shut up" I interrupted blankly, Dulio smirked before he chuckled, a second after and he waved me a good night one that I responded in kind with before I gave him his room key

Now that I was left alone I sighed at Dulio's retreating form before I relented and exited the oriental hotel and rejoined the many bodies in the night crowd a minute later and I found the cafe', it was a seat yourself set up so instead of waiting to be let in I just walked in and sat down in the table the other two were sitting at

See as how I was greeted with confusion I sighed "don't worry, I tucked him in myself" I said plainly, the others still looked confused before they finally realized I meant Dulio and a round of oh's and awe's was heard at the table

"You guess order anything?" I asked with a yawn

"Yes and we got you a coffee... By the way, when was the last time you actually slept?" Irina asked brining up a rather good point

"Um... I think ever since we landed... that would probably be about, hmmm... 13 hours? I guess" I replied but Xenovia looked unconvinced about something

"You were asleep on the plane for 15 minutes... and even then it didn't look enough to give your mind some rest... so when was it that you actually _slept_?" pressed Xenovia

Now that they question it I'm rather stumped on when I've actually slept, was it before we went to st. Paul's cathedral? Or maybe after? No, the last time I've slept was before I went to the archbishop's room during my painful time off... five days ago

"I haven't slept in 120 hours if we're not counting small naps in between" I answered causing Irina to shoot up suddenly

"That's crazy... I'm going to see if I can get you that coffee now... _then_ you're going to bed" she said before she walked off to the snack bar, a coffee then bed time?

Probably be a decaf

While she was gone all that remained was Xenovia and I, a few awkward shifts in her direction suggested that she may be fully acute to the situation

I now found a perfect opportunity to fix a few things; she showed to be more willing to speak to me now so I took the chance presented

"Xenovia?" I called out while leaning forward in my seat

"Hm?" she asked plainly while looking at me, cold exterior now acting as emotional defense

"I've been meaning to apologies... for my previous blunder that is" I said calmly, Xenovia's expression narrowed but she didn't show any signs in cutting me off so I continued

"Back at turkey I made you a promise" by this point I could tell Xenovia was fully listening "and I'm fully aware that somewhere down the lines I've managed to damage that promise... I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry that ended the way it ended, if it were different then I wouldn't have asked you to run and instead I would have proudly asked you to assist me"

When I finished Xenovia was quiet, since I felt I fixed my relationship with her a good bit I leaned back in my chair, content that my words carried enough

"Malthus was going to kill me... right?" she started, pulling me from my drifting thoughts to see her eyes locked on mine. I nodded

"Yes, he himself told me that he purposely spared you, outta interest and the supposed kindness in his none existent heart" I replied, then I saw something I haven't seen in Xenovia... her eyes softened, albeit very slightly but it was something extremely rare to see

"Then I must be the one to apologies instead of you, I have been angry at you for my own selfish reasons when your real intentions were for my own benefit" she said kindly while staring at the table

Her eyes suddenly shifted to longing... whoa

"Just promise me this" she started softly while shifting her locked gaze to mine, I nodded for her to proceed "promise me that when we face him, Malthus or Kokabiel, that you'll fight with me, honor me that much" she finished, a blush lining her cheeks

"It would do me a great honor to fight alongside both of you" I replied proudly causing Xenovia to pick up a happy aura, her expression still looked longing but she felt... happy

It was true, in what she felt, I even took a peak, sue me

From what I was seeing she had started to feel a sense of regret in pushing me away and now she figured out my intentions were pure and not selfish and instead of holding that previous promise she shifted it to another one... one that I will intend to keep

I cut off inspecting her hearts intentions before I delved into spoiler land, she'd keep her privacy

"Thank you" she muttered even softer then before

Now I couldn't help it

"~you're so kawaii Xenovia-Chan~" I gushed uncharacteristically, totally worth it too

"Eh?" she asked in complete shocked, as her entire face became beat red a moment after thus making her even more adorable

As the blueberry steamed under her hands in embarrassment I full heartedly laughed before I patted her head "~Oh don't be like that Xenovia-Chan~" I purred

This is what you get for letting your guard down Xenovia!

"S-s-stop I-it" she stuttered causing me to giggle even more

"~why? Your just so adorable when your fluster~" I pressed my teasing even more mercilessly even when Irina returned coffee in hand –sweet nectar of the gods- I still assaulted her mercilessly

That sounded wrong didn't it?

Doesn't matter!

"I see you two are getting along just fine" started Irina before she placed the coffee before me

Be thankful of your savior Xenovia, for she has protected you with coffee!

Stopping my teasing I picked up my coffee and sipped it, I don't know why but after tasting the coffee and its almighty goodness I started to feel how tired I actually was

"Is it good?" asked Irina energetically; a type of energy that made my head hurt just thinking about it

"Yes, and thank you but before I proceed in drowning myself in this cups bounty I want to ask you" I asked, suddenly sounding tired, Irina stopped sipping her hot chocolate to acknowledge me

"Yes?"

"Did you spike this with Xanax?" I asked suddenly, Xenovia seemed to find something funny or the question was so random it caused her to sudden choke on liquid cause soon after she was coughing; Irina on the other hand simply looked confused before finally understanding my meaning

"What?! I'm not like that!" she said quickly, way to quickly to be convincing but I knew I was pushing it so I raised my hands to calm her

"Relax, I'm not accusing you as a date raper... but if however you did spike my drink, well ~Jesus take the wheel' if ya know what I mean" I said and by this time Irina fully understood why I was so goofy

When I'm tired I get goofy, deal with it

"I'm guessing that really hit the spot then" she said plainly causing me to nod, wholly agreeing

"Uh, yeah... it really has, I'm probably two sips from a flawless knockout" after I took two more sips I placed a few bucks on the table for the other two as well as their room keys before I told them the hotel location, their room was in ours except in the next adjoining one

Wordlessly I retreated back to the hotel room where I oh so graciously thanked the heavens for a safe and fast travel back to lest I wake up a few cities over... yeah, Griselda can be a real evil prankster when she's retaliating to one

I was knocked out soon after my head was a few inches from my pillow on my hotel futon; I had noticed Dulio fast asleep but since I was on one track mind I only barely registered his sleeping form

However

_If_ I was more aware, then I would've been more prepared for the morning's events

**-XxXxXxX-**

There are many situations from my past experiences to fall under the category of... 'Odd'. It's almost normal since everyone has had one of _those_ kinds of mornings, like sometimes your fellow man – or women – could be off his rocker for unknown reasons. The notion of waking of up in the morning is usually a normal and simple routine for me and almost everyone on the planet, wake up, workout, shower, eat etc. But when it comes to curtain instances that routine is somehow blocked – rare times – things can get... weird, for everyone

For instances, a few years back when I was working with Griselda during a large scale vampire incursion in Romania – classic location, I know, it's not like that joke wasn't floating around in my head at the time – but for some reason or another my partner thought, at some point during the night, that I was far more comfortable then her own pillow – we had to share a bed, good times

For someone who, at the time, highly disliked physical contact was for some reason far more willing at the notion at night then when she was awake, that beating I received for my supposed 'angelic perversion' was, avoidable, but when it comes to a women's innocents it is a man's duty to suck it up and agree

Cause no matter how wrong they are they will always fight it

Just take a knee and tell yourself you've won... it's what I had to do

This all came down to the situation I currently found myself in, however, the person cuddling me was not Griselda, if for some reason it was then not only has she traveled hundreds of miles to shatter her character but she'd also get a hell of a new nickname

The first thing I heard in my deep slumber was voices – no I'm not insane – and by the sounds of it, Xenovia, Irina, and I think a groggy Dulio were conversing with a new voice, I was still asleep but that was changing quickly, the proximity of the new voice was close, close enough to be breathing, literally, down my neck

Keeping calm unlike those who feel it necessary to jolt themselves awake every morning I simply laid their all the while breathing calmly, the second sensation I had that came to me was a pressure – is said PRESSURE not pleasure! – close to my groan and a heavier pressure on my stomach to my chest, slowly my eyes opened and the first thing I saw was yellow, or was it gold?

I have no clue, my groggy disposition was keeping me from noticing even primitive color spectrums so all I saw was yellow/gold in my vision, a part of me thought I was in heaven, the sun light that was streaming through the thin oriental hotels roof emphasised the colors brightness, then the scent hit me and it smelled like... Perfume of some exotic kind it seemed, taking the time to analyze what was in front of me I came to a quick confusion that I was seeing hair

Gold/yellow hair, the exotic scent... the cat like eyes staring into mine... I think I know who I'm looking at

"Isa-tan?" asked a sweat, flirtatious voice

"Uh..." was my intelligent reply, now that I was awake I was able to distinguish my surroundings, first I noticed blue and chestnut hair to my left and a massive amount of yellow/gold hair to my right

I had noticed Xenovia and Irina quickly because of familiarity, each of them were wearing – arguably adorable – Vatican styled pajamas, I had no idea how they got those but I was far too attached to the situation to actually care on that

What, I however, cared about was the, angry, and blushing expressions on the two female exorcists who were both holding their respective holy swords threateningly...

...At me

"Um... what's going on?" I asked confusedly, not at all threatened. The killing intent wasn't directed to me but rather...

"Isa-tan!" yelled the female voice before I felt two arms wrap around my head, a second later and my head was in a place every man wishes to be

A pair of large, exposed, breasts was the first thing I saw before I saw black again, I thought I passed out but the loud energetic voice was key enough to tell me I was in fact still awake

"~Isa-tan! It's been so long! ~" gushed the women I found to be extremely familiar

Using a small amount of my superhuman strength I gently fought out of the suffocating grasp to finally see the women straddling me

Breathing a good bit of fresh air I finally was able to fully distinguish who the women clearly was

She had a voluptuous figure underneath a shrine maiden outfit – which was being worn loosely as evident to the pair of breasts hanging out- she had long golden blonde hair with equally matching eyes that which was almost cat like in appearance, to add to her already familiar status, three fox tails were seen waging back and forth while the rest of the nine tails were coiled around me and her which answered my unthought-of question of why I felt so damn warm

The women was none other than Yasaka, the notorious nine-tailed fox of Kyoto, leader of the Youkai organization in Kyoto

Smiling I replied to her "Hello to you to Yasa-Chan" I said calmly while I did up the top part of her shrine maiden outfit, her exposed top was causing the other two to blush a large sum "and likewise, I'd say it's been a year"

Yasaka nodded cutely in reply, grunting from the mild resistance my tired bones had I sat up to notice one thing

_My_ top was fully exposed

Now I guess Yasaka's exposed rack wasn't what was causing the blushes but rather mine as evident by the two's stares at my chest

"You two find something interesting over there?" I asked, Yasaka simply twisted around in my lap and leaned back into my chest as if using me as a chair of some kind

The other two's reaction was amusing, almost like I said something that caused physical pain of some kind Irina and Xenovia both blushed beet red before they both covered their eyes and dropped their swords down like they saw something physically horrifying

With words I can disarm it seems

"W-why are you s-shirtless?!" Irina asked, exasperated being the lightest of characterisations

Scratching my chin I looked down to Yasaka "was it you?" I asked simply, she nodded before I felt her hum

"~Yup, Isa-Chan is more comfy without his shirt on~" she said, and the shocked expressions on the others were at this point hilarious

"Hehehe, I think we can wrap this up now Yasaka" I said calmly while I spotted my upper uniforms... on the other side of the room

Well Yasaka's tails will have to do for covering me for the time being, when Yasaka finds me and manages to sit on my lap for any length of time it's extremely hard for those who don't like it to get her off

That is if you don't anger her in the process

At my words Yasaka frowned before I simply smiled down to her tiredly, a yawn came up to emphasis my fatigue "we've played along with them enough Yasaka" I said but she pouted more, if she had Anker's then I'd have seen and heard them drop... she wasn't going to move

*sigh*

"At least cover me if you're going to stay" I said lamely, a bright smile and a fur coat later and I was covered, mostly, the part where Yasaka was skin-shipping me was still exposed, albeit barely for the other two to see clearly

A minute of waiting later and the other two finally calm down and collect themselves, Irina and Xenovia stood where they were before starting the interrogation but before I did I gestured to their swords

"You won't need those" I said, Xenovia looked unmoved while she eyed Yasaka dangerously and Irina seemed to follow in her partners actions

Seems today was the kind I find myself sighing deeply

Releasing another sigh I began to pet Yasaka's head softly without saying anything, Yasaka in turn seemed far more content in the affection then the other two so to say we suddenly started to ignore the other two suggestively was an understatement

Scratching behind Yasaka's fox ears I chuckled at her reaction while in the corner of my eye Xenovia and Irina looked a little bit confused by my sudden change in explaining to them what they wanted

During that time I noticed Dulio was actually still very much asleep, even soundlessly if you say

"Isaac? Are you going to answer us?" asked Irina meekly

"Not until you withdraw your weapons into the other room Irina" I answered, still focusing on petting Yasaka, I had forgotten the amusement I had when back then I'd find more fun in petting her then actually listening to Griselda brief me on the next objectives we had to undertake

Hearing the collective sighs and clatter of weapons being dropped into the other room I noticed Xenovia and Irina both walk back into the room – both still wearing their pajama's – before they plopped down and stared at me

"That wasn't so hard now was it?" I asked, almost like a parent scolding two stubborn daughters, both girls collectively pouted at me in an angered manner causing both me and Yasaka to chuckle

"I see you've made some more friends?" Yasaka asked in her usual polite manner, her overly flirtatious actions before were, for some reason, only directed to me on times

"They're actually not as new Yasaka; I met them about roughly... 14 years ago?" I said while looking down to the women, my eyes seemed to carry a message one that she understood as keep my secret quiet... she was, extremely good in reading who and _what_ I was so she was one of the other few who knew, my message was to not divulge anything that may suggest anything even close to what I was

She pouted at that – obvious lie – before she replied "aw, and here I thought we had more history" she said sadly

"I'd say five years is close to a history Yasa-Chan" I replied adding in a fake consoling tone

"Ok" started Irina who looked lost and confused "who is she and what is your history with my senpai?"

For a moment me and Yasaka looked confused before we glanced at each other then back at Irina

"... 'My'?" we asked in unison, Irina blushed deeply before she reeled back, embarrassed

"Y-you K-know what I meant!" she yelled back bashful of me and Yasaka's tag team teasing

Yasaka giggled lightly before she answered her "I've known Isaac for five years... uhmm Irina was it?" she asked causing the red faced girl in question to nod "we met some time ago... I think it was because of a Youkai struggle between fractions?" she started before she looked to me to confirm

"Yes, awhile ago Yasaka here was having problems with other Youkai organizations in Kyoto... a few troublesome mafia's here a foreign drug kingpin there... anyways, back then me an Griselda were the ones sent to stabilize –"

"Wait! Boss-sama was working with you back then!?" Irina asked in shock while Xenovia's eyes were wide at the information given

"Yes... She hasn't been retired for _that _long you two... she _is_ still young" I replied seriously, there was no lie in my words, Griselda did in fact retire only 6 years ago. Before I tried to continue, Yasaka piped in innocently

"Wait, Grisy-Chan retired from the exorcists branch?" she asked in mild surprise, to which I nodded

"But she was so good, why did she retire so early?" she muttered

"She was working with _me_ all that time" I answered plainly causing Yasaka to suddenly agree with a nod

"Oh..." she said as if knowing that was a full reason for Griselda's early retirement

"What do you mean by 'oh'? Is there something wrong?" Irina asked, getting off topic

Yasaka simply giggled "if you're already working with him, then you should know the answer" she replied cryptically causing Irina to adopt a confused expression

Xenovia and Irina looked back and forth between us like confused children watching their parents talk about grown up stuff

Seeing as how the off topic questions ceased I continued "Anyways, to make a long story short, me and Grisy were both ordered to stabilize Kyoto by any means necessary"

"Then why is she here, I thought you were suppose to stabilize Kyoto?" Xenovia asked in a cold tone, Yasaka frowned at her words but before she said anything or _did_ anything I intervened

"The reason Yasaka isn't dead Xenovia is because of the basic choice me and Griselda made all those years ago" I replied before I sighed at her unmoved expression "not all none humans are evil Xenovia... learn that quickly" I warned seriously causing Xenovia to look at me shocked at my cold tone

With her tone and expression towards Yasaka I was sure the thought of killing the fox in my lap wasn't far off from the bluenette's mind and so I was going to slice that outta the air with no mercy... no damn pun intended either

With a serious expression I continued, _after_ I glared at the two, warning them that I wouldn't answer any interruptions "when we arrived the entire city was in chaos, not total war but gangs and thugs were a norm down in the streets, all the other mafia's and drug kingpins were reeking any kind of havoc and murder was a natural thing... all the propaganda about Kyoto back in the day was actually lies created by corrupted officials in the cities system" I started before I looked at Xenovia calmly

"Yasaka was a Youkai organization leader among those in Kyoto who saw the corruption as a plague on her ancient ground... she requested _our_ help, mine and Griselda's, in liberating Kyoto from their clutches" I said causing Xenovia's previous expression to falter "so we answered the call, it was simple to see that Yasaka had pure intentions for those in the city as well as those who wished to visit the city... without the threat of being murdered"

"It took a total of a year to cleanse the city, and 2 more to clean up the roaches under the rugs... every since then, both the Vatican and her organization have been in a close relationship, feeding anything close to Intel about heretic movements or attacks on our people to us, they even go so far as assisting our own when it was needed... I think Dulio can attest to that" I finished, the two looked to see Dulio was awake... and shirtless

"Eeeep!" squeaked Irina causing Dulio to lazily plug his ear at the high pitch sound

"Good morning to you to Irina-Chan" he said groggily before he turned to me and smirked

"I see she found you" he said before he lied back down

"Yup, you knew?" I asked in return

"She was in the room when I got in last night... we talked a bit then I passed out, guess you _really_ didn't notice your bed mate until... this morning?" he explained before asking the final question

I shook my head "nope, I haven't slept in five days so I was out like a light, but yes I did notice her... wasn't hard to miss" I replied while patting Yasaka's head, Dulio simply whistled

"You seriously work yourself to hard, ya know that right?" he asked and I nodded but before I answered I felt pair of eyes glaring at me from below me, looking down I spotted Yasaka narrowing her eyes at me

"What?"

"Take care of yourself" she ordered, motherly instincts kicking in

"Ah... sure, whatever you say Yasa-Chan" I replied sheepishly but the look didn't leave her expression

With a small grunt from Xenovia and Irina, Dulio and I looked to see both the two girls staring at Dulio expectantly, one that he was confused of before he looked to me

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked quiet innocently

"Nope, I just told them about the time you having trouble in Kyoto a few years back... and about the assistance you received thereafter"

"Aw *yawn*... yeah, back then I think I was handling a few fallen leaders, high class, when all the sudden a few of her allies showed up and helped me out... sure did save me some time" with a nod he thanked the women in my lap before he plopped back down onto his futon

Xenovia looked confused before she looked at me "why were me and Irina taught that any none humans other than angels were heretic's? Seems to me that we were fed a good fair share of lies, cause if the Vatican is having relationships with other species means the teachings are rather... off" she said... good, she's opening up to this more easily then I was hoping for

I'll give her a cookie later

Sighing I replied "this may sound a bit personal – to me of course – but there isn't a doubt in my mind that a few of your teachers and priests back when you were in scholar school were more... fanatical in their teachings, something I despise greatly" I answered and Irina shifted slightly in her seat

"It's said in the Ten Commandments to 'love thy neighbor' not 'love thy neighbor only if he's human _and _believes in the lord' not a lot of people seem to remember those rules, and a those who do don't seem to understand them very well" I said while I pet Yasaka's head "most of those fanatic's have been either re-educated or stripped of their position in the Vatican, we have no room for blind murders who believe to be messengers, freed Sellzen was one of those who fell along that line" I said seriously

"It's not open very much nor is it fully welcomed among the clergy but if we can form bonds with other organizations that fit _both _our benefits then it is welcomed, _even _if it's a clan of Youkai we still can form alliances, and as you can see" I explained before I patted Yasaka's head softly "it's worked out pretty well so far"

The other two looked to be downloading the information while Dulio however was simply downloading any scrap of morning energy to get outta bed, I was ready to get up but the women on my lap was keeping from doing so... not that I wasn't uncomfortable with the tail coat but we still had a long day ahead and I wanted to get to kouh before our demon friend could

"Now that I think about it" I started while catching everyone's attention

Sifting through my pockets and any other crevice in arms reach I hunted for my phone but It seemed to be missing

"~looking for this~" purred a voice directly in my ear, I knew full well that Yasaka had somehow managed to find, why I didn't remember that was lost on me

Looking to the Kyuubi with a raised brow I almost expected her to be simply holding it in her hand but where she placed it instead was a key reason on why Irina and Xenovia were both steaming in the face in embarrassment

The spot that which Yasaka had placed my phone was directly in between her breasts, even for a man like me who at times finds himself in situations with the opposite sex and sometimes _really _suggestive positions with them I've managed to keep a straight even in the most... erotic of times

However, with the added pressure of the two women as well as a dazed and somewhat aware Dulio... who was lazily smirking by the way, was good enough to cause my ears to burn in embarrassment

Too bad the next words she said had caused the kicker

"Here is the one and only rule: you can only have your phone if you grab it with your teeth"

When I said I was a man who could control himself in erotic situations I did mean it however _that _was a first, even for her... Jesus women! When in the high heavens did she get so damn flirty!

The other two seemed almost ready to dive in to my rescue but their beat red faces as well as clear frozen embarrassment seemed to hold them down, Dulio just laid their

"You can do this Isaac... I have faith in you" he said encouragingly

"Women..." I started causing Yasaka to look at me with those damn eyes of hers, eyes that said 'I got you know boy' "this is a new level... even for you" I said but she simple smirked evilly at me

"This is punishment for leaving me hanging for a year... now if you want your phone you better man up" she said with a vixen's low tone

Damn her! Playing with my frigin pride like that

'_Ya know what... screw it' _with my final words I took the leap

At speeds unnoticeable by her nor expected by the others I grabbed the phone with my hand even before she could shield herself playfully but since I had already grabbed and retrieved the device she was simply covering herself

From her adopted expression Yasaka seemed to have noticed I was more victorious then her as evident by the pout but I simply teased her by waging the phone in her face "you almost had me... too bad I've been preparing for your flirting ~Yasa-Chan~" I teased causing her to develop a tick mark on her face

"That was cheating and you know it!" she yelled back but I simply smirked at her deviously

"Perhaps... but you never did specify a punishment if I broke the rule" I replied keeping my smirk poised on her now exasperated features

This was the norm for her, for whenever I returned to Kyoto after... About a week or so she'd suddenly find me the brightest part of her day and unlike those fanatics who foam at the mouth and scream out 'purge the unclean!" Whenever a nonhuman touches them I remained unmoved whenever I was brought into a powerful hug... for the millionth time

Yasaka always seemed to find herself extremely flirtatious when I'm around, for example, back when me and Griselda were helping clear out the roaches left in the city Yasaka had Intel on a possible rising organization that wished to reignite their control in the north region of the city... they were barely a threat but we still wish to finish the job, Yasaka however found that keeping the information withheld from us was a good enough leverage for her to have us do... odd games

She called it twister... now I see why she chose that game

Yeah that was odd, Griselda practically threatened to end my life if I ever uttered that to anyone else... since however I was 'innocent' at the time I found her flustered expression confusing... until now

Patting her head I consoled her "There there Yasa-Chan" I said as the other two finally calmed down from their blushing while Dulio went to get up

"Well, now that _that_ is done, imma get ready" he said before he looked at the other two "Maybe you two should as well" he suggested while fighting a giggle at their innocent pajama's

As Dulio left the room the other two went to their own leaving me and Yasaka alone

"You good?" I asked softly

"How long as it actually been?" she replied, angered and blushing expression gone Yasaka developed a more saddened expression then her previous joyous one

"3 years... not counting the other time" I replied calmly before I took a deep breath, Yasaka sighed as well before she leaned into to my chest

"Why is that you are actually here in Kyoto?... it couldn't have been a visit, you'd have called me in advance" she asked quietly, she was aware that the privacy we had was very limited, the adjoining room was bisected with a thin wall so regular tones could be easily picked up so we were speaking in whispers

"we've come across a serious obstacle, I cannot reveal this to other's but since I trust you just as much as I would Griselda or those three I'll reveal it to you" I started "A demon has escaped heavens prison and wishes to ignite war with all three fractions, I'm warning you ahead of time that the reason we came to Kyoto was because outside of the cities borders a small contingent of fallen and rogues were stationed" I explained quietly

"Did you handle them?" she asked

"Of course, two holy sword wielders and two sacred gear possessors was good enough to almost level that base completely... however I fear that our little victory may have started a domino effect. The demon, Malthus, has his sights set on kouh city, and after our attack he may just start his assault ahead of schedule"

"Then all the more reason for you to get going" she said before she sat up in my lap and cupped my face in her hands "Just promise me that you'll take care of yourself" after she said that she placed a gentle kiss on my forehead "at least try to at least" she added

"Yeah... do you not want any protection? With Malthus' little posy at your door step I'm worried he may have his sights set on you as well, destabilizing Kyoto could agitate the three fractions" I reasoned but she simply smiled at me

"Oh how kind of you, but I'm afraid that won't be necessary"

"How so?" I was sure that she'd be a prime target now that I thought about it, she had a link to the lay lines of Kyoto and that gave her almost limitless power so I was sure she was a prime target

"You do remember that kouh holds _two _prime targets, I do realize my connection to Kyoto but I doubt that 'Malthus' really see's me as a target to ignite a war... agitate it yes but even that can be countered, if he wants to start a war then I'd say those to high-class devil's in kouh would be better targets" she said matter-of-factly

I stopped in my reply, I even almost faced palmed at my lack of remembering who exactly were in kouh city, preferably a curtain brown haired teen and a runaway nun but who I truly forgot was who the master of those two was

"Rias Gremory, sister to the current Satan, Sirzechs Lucifer" I said out loud, Yasaka smirked when she noticed that she hit the nail on the head

"There's also a second one... can you guess her name?" she asked but I simply shrugged, never met nor saw the other devil leader

"Her name I believe was Souna Shitori... However that is her alias, a few of my sources told me that she is a current heir to the Sitri family house and her real name is Sona Sitri, not much of a real alias but I think it was only to keep humans from noticing her real name... now can you guess who her sister is, I'll give you a hint... she's inherited the demon of envy's name" she hinted while leaning back into my chest

I took a few seconds to figure it out; it was an easy question for me since I was fully training in demonology as well as had a few pointers from my real commander about demons even before I was earth-side

The demon god of envy was leviathan; the history behind that name was due to the demons envy towards the leviathans and their 'cool' sounding name, so in the end he took it for himself because since the real leviathans were in purgatory he didn't need to worry about copyright infringements

"So this Sona Sitri is the little sister of Serafall leviathan?" I asked just to confirm, Yasaka simply giggled

"You sure are an informed one"

"It pays to be" I replied dismissively

"Now do you see who really needs protecting? Even if I'm a target of some ancient demon then I'll simply melt him down to ash for even thinking of coming to my city" she replied with a low threatening tone, Yasaka can sure sound dangerous, she was by all means a pacifist but when it came to dropping the gloves she did so at max power right off the bat

In terms of power, I'd say she was an equal match for the demon Malthus not to mention she had an entire organization loyal to her safeguard so I felt sort of bad for asking if she needed any protection because she isn't some little girl

"I guess I step outta bounds there, asking you if you need any protection seemed sort of rude" I said but she simply chuckled

"~now why would I feel insulted from that? I'd be thrilled to know I was being protected by a strong and capable bodyguard known as 'the Paladin of light'... hmmm? That doesn't sound bad at all~ she said with her trademark vixen styled tone returning, I could even feel her fox fire rise slightly

I simply chuckled "Always the lecherous one huh?"

"You have no idea" she said in return, proximity closing

*nock* *nock*

"Come on Isaac, the other two are waiting" called Dulio

"Damn... and here I thought I could have some more time with you" she said softly

I pat her head and smiled "~better luck next time Yasa-Chan~" I said teasingly before I stood up, bones and joints cracking in the process

"Always playing hard to get I see" she muttered to which I chuckled

"You have no idea" Yasaka playfully glared at me while I put my priest outfit back on

With a quick summon I checked my Zetsurin sword after I finished placing all my clothes on "Hmm, could use a cleaning I suppose" I muttered before I resealed it and bowed to Yasaka

"Thank you for your hospitality Yasaka" I said thankfully, my reunion with her was short but I figured it was good enough

She simply smiled before she waved me a goodbye "Don't even mention it Isaac, any time you need any help don't be afraid to call"

"Right back at ya, call me the minute you hear any kind of demonic disturbances... that demons caused enough pain that I wish to be the one to pay him back tenfold" I said seriously, Yasaka simply shrugged

"No promises"

"Heh, it was nice seeing you again Yasaka... see you around" by that point I was off on my marry way, short and sweet goodbyes were the best I could do as long drawn out ones tend to take forever when it came to her

Back then when me and Grisy were working here Yasaka and I really hit off as friends and probably down the lines it evolved to something more, I wasn't dense to Yasaka's uncharacteristic flirts and I was more than aware enough to see that her affection wasn't just simple flirts

However

My current life style and business wasn't the kind to take any form of close relationship kindly, here is where I stood, currently, I'm almost wanted by every high ranking vampire clan known for reasons under the same as the one for the devil society, I've hunted and killed hundreds of their kind

Were they for personal means? No

Each one I slaughtered was vile... and none of them were loyal to their respective clans/family houses but that didn't mean the clans or family houses were aware of their actions so to them I was just hunting and killing indiscriminatingly

Needless to say, I had enemies and so I basically kept any developing relationships in the developing stage or simply drop them entirely so to keep any 'would-be' second parties from getting their hands on them so to get to me.

I didn't know who was orchestrating these actions but I felt that Malthus may have some information regarding who it was, he was freed from heavens prison because there was no way he could've just got up and left, someone or something let him out and he was going to tell me one way or another

So for any developing relationships I left alone until I could either find the culprit or somehow clear my name but until then I was left playing the jolly good ol 'hard to get' shtick for the time being

After I checked us out of the hotel I regrouped with my team and we were off to the train station

**-XxXxXxX-**

My phone rang a few minutes into the train ride to kouh city, the caller ID was listed as unknown but the phone number was listed as Unknown as well, this was a sign that it was call from the nexus system from Claire's archive

Seeing as how this was important I looked over to Dulio and nodded to him, a snap of his fingers later and a sound barrier erupted around all of us, flipping the phone to speaker I greeted calmly

"Good morning Griselda" I greeted nonchalantly

"_Isaac... we got your email from yesterday and decoded its contents" _started the stressed and tried Griselda, oh now I felt bad for that greeting, the time zone we were in was almost a day ahead, I may have gotten some sleep but "archbishop" Griselda hadn't nor Claire

Forgetting that cringy start I pressed on seriously "Did it have anything regarding kouh city and the two VIP we are currently heading to right now?" I asked knowing full well the answer, the others looked at me confused but I simply ignored it, I'd fill them in during the conversation

"_Y-yes... How did you figure that out?"_

"We were in Kyoto all of last night Griselda... I think you can figure out _who _I learned that from" I replied sarcastically, I could hear the almost audible sigh before she started back up again

"_Right... what else did you learn from her? Or was that all?" _

"It was, all I learned was the names and relatives of the two VIP's. Sona Sitri and Rias Gremory are the next targets on Malthus's hit list, both of which are close relatives to Serafall leviathan and Sirzechs Lucifer..." I paused so to see if she had anything to add however I got no reply so I continued "both of which have a large degree of affection for their respective sibling, you can count on a war if even one of those two are killed"

"_Then by all means Isaac... use whatever strategy you see fit to insure those two stay out of harm's way... As strange as it seems I don't want any harm to come to either of those devils, not even a scratch" _she said, commanding voice over taking her more feminine tone

"Seems kinda strange... four of the strongest Vatican exorcists protecting two devils from a demon" added Xenovia strangely

"I'd rather be seen as a hypocrite then to let a war start on my watch, so I'm more than willing by this point" Dulio added

"Love thy neighbor right?" Irina rehashed while looking at me, I smiled in return

"_Seems I'm commanding one of the most unorthodox church followers unit yet... stay safe you four, and good luck"_

"We'll stay in contact and update you on any changes" I added and with a click the connection was killed

When all was said and done with our small debriefing with Griselda, Xenovia and Irina looked at both me and Dulio "what do you know about this territory?" asked Xenovia, seems she wants a lay of the land

Dulio simply shrugged "I haven't taken or overseen any operations in kouh city so your questions are as mine would be" he answered the others then looked at me

For a minute I contemplated my answer before I did so calmly "would you three believe me if I said that just before we left to St. Paul's cathedral, I had actually returned from said city" good to test the waters, I was more worried Irina flipping out at hearing this since quite frankly, she has been pestering me about a friend she had back then... one of her only non church related friends that is

I didn't know the names since every time she brought him up it always neglected the name part and skipped right to the memories and nostalgia

"WHAT!?" yelled the chestnut haired girl... my worries were well understood

"You actually visited kouh city? WHY?" she asked

Shifting uncomfortably at the sudden attention I answer as best as possible "professional obligations, fallen angels were stirring crap up so I was dispatched"

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked and I shrugged again

"Demon hunting... I was curtain that took precedence, no offence but I was kinda thinking more about that then a city I was in no more than a week" I answered matter of factly, instead of press on Irina went silent at my reasoning while Xenovia piped up

"So if you were here, and facing against fallen angels no less, then I'm sure you may have some kind of lead we can use" she reasoned but I again shrugged my shoulders

"They were rogues, small in numbers and barely close to mid tier fallen... and that's being generous, degenerate fallen following their own agenda or mutual agenda to gain more power for their own standings, there was no rhyme or reason in their actions so it was just another SSDD scenario... I saw no reason for me to be specifically tasked to erasing them but I guess it was due to the low staff that day" I pointed at the two 'rookie' exorcists "since you two were still on that vampire job I was probably the only one free enough to actually handle the job cleanly"

Xenovia nodded before I heard Dulio pipe in "I heard you handled that one heretic... Freed was his name right?" he asked not at all remembering him

"Yes, I encountered and dealt with him accordingly" I answered while the other two widened their eyes

"You mean Freed Sellzen? The one of the most wanted church heretic's?" asked Irina, the previous topic all but forgotten

"The one and horrible only... out of the whole situation, dealing him in 'gods fury' style was probably the high light of the operation"

"Seems weird that he'd be involved in something so... mundane" added Xenovia

"Mundane to you sure but Freed's a sociopath to higher extents, If the fallen promised him safe guard then he'd be allowed to murder all he wants without being caught" Xenovia scrunched her nose in disgust

"How creatures like him make it past natural selection is beyond me" she uttered

"Aside from him, what else happened on the trip?" Dulio asked subsequently changing the subject

"I guess I did have something else to add" I started "before I ended the heretic, I met one of the territories leaders, her name was Rias Gremory"

"Maou Lucifer's little sister" muttered Irina "what else happened?"

I simply shook my head "nothing really worth mentioning... we traded a few words and got down to a mutual benefit, I handle the rodents while she stays away from my operation _without _calling her brother"

"That's it?"

"That's all she wrote" I agreed simply

"So what do you think we should do when we get there?" asked Irina

"Simple, since ol Isaac here has some history with this young lady then I'm sure it would be best to talk to her then to just let her be" Dulio answered lazily

"That would be the best approach to this, she didn't really take my snooping around in her territory very well and it was only because of my compromise of small Intel to her that kept us from killing each other" I agreed with Dulio on this one (not that I normal don't) if we were to come clean and forewarn her of the danger then things could work smoother

"What of the information we have? Surely you don't want to reveal all of our objectives to them?" Xenovia added

Irina nodded but answered in my stead "we'll simply keep the knowledge of the demon to ourselves then explain everything else to them all the while enforcing the importance of secrecy... with words obviously" she answered making me feel proud at her wit, she's learning well

"She's right, but that also brings the second topic" started Dulio before he raised another point "is Kokabiel involved?"

"We don't have any necessary evidence proving his guilt so if we do keep the information on Malthus to ourselves then who do we use as a substitute? If we point fingers then that'll only add more fuel to the fire" reasoned Xenovia

"It doesn't matter..." I started causing the three to look at me "we have no means to defend Kokabiel, his historical actions and reputation images him as a loose cannon among the higher echelon of the Grigori, I've read into field reports in the past and Kokabiel's name is mentioned many times as some kind of war monger and others have even learned of his megalomaniac pride when it comes to the fallen angels" I explained

"He's stating that they are the best of the three fractions?" questioned Irina

"Sounds like he's stating a fact" replied Dulio

Xenovia rubbed her chin before she then look at me "it seems that it will be our best choice in the matter" Dulio and Irina looked at her but she pressed on before they could retort "Isaac has said that his mental state is on an almost permanent combat high, as evident by his addiction to war" I looked at her confused, how did she know that?

In a rare instance Xenovia smirked at me before she tapped the side of her head "I can read into things too" she said, I just chuckled and nodded "I can see that... carry on" with a nod I gave her a verbal cookie before she continued

"I've read that during the Great War Kokabiel is the only fallen who disliked Azazel's choice in retreating first, and before that he was seen as a veteran combatant in the war as well... case and point, he lives and breath's war, there is no reason why Kokabiel wouldn't agree with Malthus so he is the most likely of fallen to 'point the finger at'"

Dulio smiled while Irina took a minute to download the information before she to smiled

"Then I'm guessing we have everything sorted out?" I asked to finalize our next step

With three consecutive nods we were on equal grounds, since we were heading straight into devil territory with two important VIP's caution was in need of extreme use, I'd rather – for personal reasons – keep the Maou's involvement and knowledge of my location away from them as best as possible, the fact we needed to stress secrecy was saving the world's ass as well as my own

I just hope everything works out perfectly

**-XxXxXxX-**  
**\- With Issei and co. post rating game, occult research club room 10:36 pm/ 10 hours until Isaac's arrival to kouh city-**

It had been an odd day for the ORC members, since their victory against riser and his peerage things had been rather hectic for a while, from breakfast to lunch and then finally supper, the ORC was rifled with activity, for more on the queen and king but still flooded for the others albeit only two of them, for issei, it was a complete mess of events and for his blonde companion, it was much more taxing then the former, with being a new student to a foreign school/land as well as have a sudden shift in life style had its fair share of stress laid bare on the blonde's shoulders. Issei was wondering how the girl's class was holding right about now, since the beginning Asia had been considered his... 'Trainee' with him being her senior

Rias had tried her best to keep Asia in his classes so he could watch over her more – not that he was at all complaining – but Sona, the school council president – also a devil (big whoop there) – had made it curtain that some other classes that she wasn't qualified for would be relinquished from her, so out of the six classes, she had two separate ones from him, not at all horrible when one is music and the other is simple science class – which was full of more girls then any of the 'hormonal' boys, so he guessed most of the girls could act as a 'defensive wall' from the more shameless of males

**[It's funny when you remember that, once upon a time **_**you**_** were once one of those 'shameless males'] **piped the voice of Ddraig teasingly causing issei to grunt – he expected a shot like that.

'_It's true I was... one of them'_ he paused when an involuntary cringe/shudder passed over him _'but I'm not one of them now – at least not as active' _he finished while eyeing a particular part of the table in front of him

**[whatever you say partner] **came Ddraig's unconvinced reply, issei had not even retorted in defense, whatever the dragon felt inside his soul was obviously well hidden and he felt no desire to race blindingly back to being a hopeless pervert with no idea how deep of a hole he was digging for himself

School hierarchy was like that... and he was at the bottom – maybe even below that

Some part of him hoped he'd find a way out some how

So for the most part he simply signed before leaning back into the couch he was occupying with Koneko, rather dangerous spot you may think but she actually said nothing of his close proximity... she probably didn't give a damn because... cookies, nuff said

As of right now, things were surprisingly quiet. With their lack of occupying the city for a week due to, other obligations, left many requests from humans on reserve, so for a short while ago the ORC room was almost like an active public business office, so for a whole four hours things were busy, Kiba would return with completed contracts while Koneko would either follow or lead, doing the exact same thing, even Rias was called on a few, albeit more rare instance, while Akeno was as well

Even he had been called upon a few times and honestly... he was beginning to feel the light in his eyes dim... if he had to deal with that 'mitten' or 'Miltan' creature again then he'd file the beast from the east as a complete magic girl princess obsess freak in need of a brick to the head... but he'd.. Probably brush it off and 'glitter' him again

'_Ugh... please god (Ow) make it stop already' _the images must've finally broken loose again

Aside from petty visual scarring and embarrassing moments issei as well as Asia made a few new contractors as well, and thankfully they weren't weird

His first new contractor was a fairly old woman – about 43 – who had a harsh decline in financial aid and had no choice but to work three jobs, which left her condo open and always messy

His job was obviously housekeeping and he felt no shank to his pride in doing it, simple cleaning and maybe a small home coming meal if he had the time, to which he did, all for the aid of a struggling women... to easy

It was better in his eyes to be a 'janitor' then a 'mental retard doctor' anyways... easy completed contract, his literal first as well, and he even got a positive review, Rias informed him after that contract – as well as after congratulating him on completing his first contract – that the contractor was also in line for requesting him again

Then came the second new contractor...

He looked about 30 years old and had a foreign, almost delinquent hair style of brown with blonde, he did wear a kimono, bland style but it did indeed fit that mans bleak and somewhat morbid humor, to put it in a clearer sense the man seemed odd and almost unnaturally relaxed on the topic of summoning a devil and even joked about giving his soul just for requesting a drinking buddy – see the morbid humor? – But it did fall through very well... second contract received

It seemed that during his contracts Asia had as well done and completed two separate contracts, didn't really surprise him, no matter how innocent she always pushed through it but just to add to his reassurance; Asia told him the two she helped actually seemed like decent people

The others were glad of his double whammy but pretty much carried on shortly after, again, it was busy; they couldn't 'pop the cork' as they say since they had some low life humans to deal with – most of them were, not all of them – so his celebration was due for the future

Speaking of celebrations...

Due to the rather MASSIVE accomplishment they had achieved not a day ago, a Gremory family house party was being held in their honor for defeating Riser Phenex – a supposed prodigy in the rating game league, as much as it pained the political side in losing the relation between houses it was still an accomplishment worth notifying and when you have the full backing of a curtain red haired maou – as well as the silent and unheard backing of the other three Maou's – the party was a unavoidable event, one that would occur tomorrow morning exactly

Sounds good on paper sure but when your told a few powerful people wish to speak to you in a _political _manner can weigh down on ones emotions, namely nervousness, names he couldn't have been asked to remember but most of them were current or slightly older devil heirs wishing to converse with him about things he was still learning about... why devil politics involved him escape his understanding as well

'_Hugh... give me a break already' _he muttered internally, from the events yesterday he had yet to find time to just take a load off for _five minutes, _seems selfish but when you're still only adjusting to supernatural life among devils it takes a lot of time to fully sink into the grooves, then add his lacking knowledge on the politics in hell and you have a tired and confused teen

Which brings us to were the ORC was now, after a long day of requests and a redistribution of devil flyers the night was again their own, however, only a few had time to themselves, namely Koneko and to be precise, all she was doing was eating treats... nothing surprising there, Kiba was late due to contract business

This left the other four with different jobs, currently, from the other side of the table sat Akeno who was delved deep into a bundle of paper work from what issei remembered to be 'documents from the demon council' aside from having his brow raised at the mention of 'demon' he guessed that's what they called their politicians – a good relation to what humans called them – so for a good bit Akeno was basically fiddling with government material like it was history class homework while Rias schooled the newer peerage members on full blown politics in devil society

Seeing as how he must've seemed interested in what she was working on Rias dropped the current lesson and piped in "Akeno right now is signing legal documents to our rise in peerage ranking Ise, its mandatory for all peerages when they prove their worth in the eyes of a Satan" she explained causing Asia to adopt a confused expression, issei guessed the girl hadn't a clue what that really meant in the long run so he just indulged the conversation for her sake – he might even learn a thing or two as well

"I'm guessing your brother was the one who dropped the recommendation?" he asked but Rias shook her head

"Surprisingly no, he wasn't, however the maou Ajuka Beelzebub-sama was... if my brother was the one then It'd probably be seen as favoritism to a family member, which is illegal to Satan's" she said calmly

"Really?... though I'm guessing if that law wasn't standing we'd have gotten two recommendations instead of one right?" he asked to which Rias eyed him coyly

"You haven't even met him and you already understand him..." she muttered, issei clicked his tongue in return

"Your descriptions are well explained" he replied causing her to blush, aside from the two's light hearted bickering Asia sat by and delved into thought on the matter before she suddenly dropped it and developed an expression of revelation, she seemed dense but issei didn't think she was that dense

"I think I understand now, the reason your brother doesn't say anything is because of his rank in the government, if he requested his own sisters rise in ranking then it'd be seen as favoritism... which isn't professional" a silence reigned after her muttering before she glanced to issei in confusion, her expression grew even more confused when she noticed his surprised expression, in her peripheral vision she even spotted Rias' surprise as well

"W-what?" she asked

Shaking his head slightly he dropped it then smiled at her "you got it Asia" he congratulated while Rias did the same before the topic continued on

"Well if that answers your intrigue Ise, I believe we have other lessons to focus on" reminded the red head, issei hummed in response before he refocused on their previous topic

Before their return from the games yesterday, Grayfia – the grey haired Gremory maid – advised him of his popularity rise among the populous and informed him of a few topics he needed to brush up on, the first and most obvious one was his lack of devil hierarchy and government, it was quiet apparent to the two that he was lacking on the matter so that was exactly what Rias was doing right now, Asia was asked to partake in the lesson as well – obvious reason – the girl was the newest right after issei and even he had more understanding on the politics side... as strained and uncaring he was to it he still carried some knowledge

So after a few hours of grinding the information into Issei's and Asia's brain Rias had helped them understand it all, but honestly, issei found himself wondering why it was so hard to figure out from before, maybe it was because he was focusing on much more... primitive goals then he was now

Low class, mid class and high class... the devil society was basically the devils version of the feudal times back when kings and queens reigned supreme a few hundred years ago, from his own personal stand point he first had a degree of disappointment with the supposed 'supreme beings'. They hadn't even developed democracy!

Then he dashed those feelings when he learned that there was no separate countries from the main one, instead, all of the governments form one complete banner, no wars had been contrived because of land or greed... the only war fought was centuries ago against the old maou fraction and that was classified as a 'dirty cold war'. Unlike how the Americans and Russians handled theirs via Black propaganda and conspiracy followed by nuclear threats thrown about the devils had full scale invasions occur almost weekly... small skirmishes yes but they left their scars on the land

So without any other countries the main 'kingdom' was only separated into _extremely _large territories, issei couldn't calculate the actual land in hell since it was classified as an endless wasteland built to house the corrupt and dead humans for centuries to come but all he knew was that the main kingdom of hell was _huuuuuge_

Out of the 72 pillars, 34 remained and each of them were evenly distributed among the four cities which names went by like, 'New Asmodeus', 'New Beelzebub', 'New leviathan' and finally 'New Lucifer' all of those cities listed were larger then Russia as a whole continent and the main kingdom was even larger

Anyways, since the threat of the old maou fraction was still in the air there was zero borders within the city limits however there was a extremely protected border patrol on the exterior of the kingdom, it was surprising to issei, they lived in the feudal era yet they handled it much better then how humans did, rather than point fingers in a time of war and ostracize themselves in times of conflict the four cities would instead unite and contrive into one massive military force, the four great Satan's were practically the president king of their own city, his/her every action depicted the actions of his men and women and when all four Satan's gather and unite under a signal banner, all of the other militaries from the separate Maou's join forces in one of the biggest 'task force joint Ops' issei has even heard of

"Do you understand now Ise?" asked Rias from her spot on the desk, she had her eyes on him while he skimmed over the text book he was given

Looking up to his master issei chimed a grunt in agreement "it seemed disappointing a first, since, ya know, the feudal times was a complete disaster on our part not to mention the lives it cost as a result but from what I've read as well as what you've told me... I think your system has found a good groove in keeping peace as best as possible" he said before he rubbed his chin "you also said no pointless wars rose from petty differences like how we have had in the past decade, no rebellions nor were there any nuclear threats looming in the air... not to mention the constant distrust between nations... small of course but it's not like it doesn't exist"

Rias smiled at his words as well as his sudden growth in learning skills "I'm glad you see it that way... now do you understand the importance of this ball?" she asked to which issei adopted a calm sigh before he nodded

"From what I've gathered I'm guessing I'm the Rising 'white knight' among the watchful eyes of the many spectating devils, a knight with a 'baby face' so to speak... Now I'm guessing I have a small political standing among them?" he said before Rias chimed in with a smirk

"More like a 'Red knight'... fits your title much better" she said with a soft smile

"You get what I mean" he replied blandly, Rias giggled in return

From his side of the room issei smirked contently, it was quiet obviously apparent to him as well as the others that from the way Rias had carried herself as well as her sudden change in personality told all of them that she was beyond happy

Freedom from some sort does have a blissful effect after all and issei was happy to supply her that freedom, they all were

"Rias" called the voice of none other than Akeno Himejima from her spot across from issei; she had a serious expression laced over a focused one. she had been glued to the bundle of paper work on her lap for the past hour and from what he had learned, apparently, since they all showed significant skills in the rating games they were almost all eligible for mid class devil exams... suggested, not solid as of yet

They may have kicked a royal pain in the ass... in the ass, but that still didn't fully register them as a mid class material yet, but by the way Rias and Akeno conversed before he guessed the rise in status was leaning more towards their benefit then just a simple rumor

"what is it Akeno?" asked Rias in return, standing up Akeno shuffled to Rias' side before she placed a list of some sort before her

"I have a few things scheduled for upcoming events, many mundane but well be busy for a short while" advised the raven haired queen before she left Rias to read the lists contents

"ok, let's see... oh, so we have a scheduled club room cleaning coming up today" revealed Rias making Akeno nod "ok, we'll have to relocate the club for the day then... then comes, well obviously the ball would be next, brother really does want that party held" as Rias muttered the lists contents to herself, seeing as how the previous conversation was dropped suddenly

"so Asia, how was class?" asked issei calmly, eye locked on her green ones, for a second he analysed his previous question as the most 'normal' question he'd asked in a really long time

"Nothing to sudden, just normal classes..." she answered innocently now putting her text book down as well "However I think this lesson was a little bit more taxing" she added causing issei to let out a small chuckle... _'Agreed' _he thought

"Ok, Ise?" called Rias, breaking his small conversation with Asia he turned to a smiling Rias

"Hmm?" he hummed in return

"The club room will be under cleaning for the day so, do you think we can have today's nightly meeting at your place?" she asked innocently, even Akeno was eyeing him... closely than normal

"Uh? Why my place? It's rather small to hold a meeting" he reasoned but she seemed unmoved from the idea

"think of it as added bonding, I'm sure your parents will be fine with the idea" she said in return and even issei shifted at the truth, his parents would be applauding the act like a gift from up high, your damn right they would be fine with it... so he simply nodded, he wasn't at all against it, he just felt there were better places for a meeting then his place but whatever, deal the cards your dealt

"Alright then, we'll hold the meeting at your place a little bit later..." stopping in her train of thought Rias glanced down to her list before continuing "Then tomorrow comes the party, since the time from this world and hell differs significantly we'll need to leave at 7 am tomorrow, we'll arrive around noon if we do" she explained, and as she explained Kiba plopped down on the couches arm rest

"Ah Kiba, your back" worded Rias as she stopped reading her list to greet him "Long request?"

"Yeah, she was running late so I had more tasks than normal, finished the contract though" he replied causing Akeno to smile

"Glad to hear it" she said before she placed another tack on a piece of paper... the score board, Rias and Akeno said it would be reviewed at the meeting later

"We'll be leaving at 7 am tomorrow for the gala" she said to Kiba making him nod

"Should probably go to bed then, wouldn't want bags under those pretty boy eyes of yours" teased issei as he smirked at the knight cheekily forcing the aforementioned knight to smirk back

"And I'm guessing there wouldn't be a difference on you then?" he replied, issei simply chuckled at the playful insult

Their bickering stopped when the club rooms phone rung causing Rias and Akeno to widen their eyes at the understanding of its significant, placing her work down Akeno answered the call with a serious expression

"I see... Understood archduke... we'll handle this... we understand the risks, we've trained for worse... thank you for the concern... goodbye" after Akeno hung up she turned to Rias with a serious expression "it was the archduke, he said the trackers have picked up stray devil code name "wraith" has been located outside of the city limits on the north end of town, B-class in ranking" she revealed causing Rias to narrow her eyes

"Did the archduke give any details on the stray's abilities?" Kiba asked

"All he said was watch out... their sources picked up heavy devil energy from its last position" replied the Gremory queen before Koneko piped up finally

"And where would that be?" she asked with her usually tone

"Shopping district, east side of the city" Rias nodded before she stood up

"Alright then... Prepare a transport sigil Akeno" after her orders the raven haired female nodded and went to the transport location in the far corner of the room and by that point everyone was on their feet, Kiba was already summoning a sword and Koneko stopped eating her treats all the while issei was following Akeno to the magic circle along with Asia who, before she could stand with the others felt a hand land on her shoulder

Confused she turned around to see Rias was the one holding her back gently "Buchou?" she asked with confusion

"this may be more dangerous than any other stray I've told you about Asia, so stay by my side no matter what" advised the red headed devil quietly; Asia remained in an innocently confused state for a second before she smiled

"hai"

With a gentle hand Rias pat the girls head softly before she walked past her and into the magic circles radius before she was quickly followed in by Asia, the others had followed in shortly after and within a small second the magic circle shone brightly, soon, all of them vanished in crimson light leaving the club room empty of all occupants

**-XxXxXxX- east side shopping district/ kouh city/ 30 miles from city limits and a few blocks from a heavily populated residential area **

Upon activation the ORC appeared within the small shopping district of the outer city, by appearance, the shopping district looked almost like a outdoors mall except there was glass windows covering the parts of the district exposed to the sky which were held up by metal support beams, small islands of plants and various trees marked themselves inside the shopping district for cosmetic appeal while various degrees of stores, small to medium, littered the district and by the first initial appearance they all notice it lacked the most crucial aspect of a shopping district

...Its customers

"were is everyone?" asked Kiba as he investigated the small shopping district with his eyes

"Seems abandoned... suspicious" worded Koneko emotionlessly as she produced six pink magic balls and handed them out, communication orbs... similar to the ones they used in their rating game. As they all applied the magic to themselves Akeno started the briefing

"From the archdukes in-depth reports he explained to me that this stray just suddenly surfaced around an hour ago outside of the city, and just 15 minutes after it surfaced this part of kouh fell off the grid, all electrical sources and appliances short-circuited and everything in here became a ghost town"

"all in the span of an hour" muttered Rias as she narrowed her eyes again; she was this territories leader by night and if her hunch was on the mark then a few hundred innocent humans had fallen to this strays vicious instincts, it was a high estimate and she truly hoped she was wrong in that assumed body count

If she was her past self she would have hunted this thing alone brutally, but facing the unknown with anger was foolish, she had no data or knowledge on how this creature moves or attacks, not to mention there was a significant signature of devil energy here a while ago... _they'd _need to do recon first

"We have no knowledge on what were facing nor do we have the luxury of keeping this prolonged for any oncoming human interference, I want this monster found and eliminated as Soon as you see it... you all have a license to kill" pointing to Akeno she dished out her first orders "Akeno, you and Kiba take to the high ground" with two expanded wings, the two aforementioned devils quickly took to the air –_around_ the glass roofing – before she pointed to Koneko and issei "tip of the spear, move out"

Two nods and issei followed Koneko deeper into the district with in-human speed

Since Rias had no idea where the stray could be sheltering the red headed devil king took to simple tactics of flushing the stray out and into the open, before, she would use honor and execute strays herself but that wasted time and put many of her peerage members at risk so instead of wasting time she simply ordered the kill on sight order... her peerage was ideally strong enough to take down one messily stray, B-class or not, strays were still inferior to normal devils... no matter the ranking

They lacked the simple notion of running when a fight was too dangerous and let arrogance rule their minds

**-with Koneko and Issei via ground floor- **

For the most part, the two devils of the Gremory house hold remained silent as they traversed through the barren shopping center and this point they both knew full well what had happened here

"This is Issei; we've found the remains of what _used _to be the civilians... or some of them" he reported solemnly, eyes narrowed dangerously in disgusted

"_Condition?"_ questioned Rias

"Stripped to the bone... literally" he answered as he stared down at a pair of dead and bloody skeletons of what used to be grown people, if the skeletons size was any bit smaller or perhaps skinner, identifying themselves as either a child of girl then the directional sign to his right would have faced the sudden fury of his right hand

"_Damn it... finds anything else?" _growled the obviously disgruntled devil king

"From the condition of the small courtyard were in, it would seem most of the struggle happened here" started Issei as he turned away from the corpses, a little bit away inside a shopping store issei found a large blanket or tarp and moved to retrieve it while Rias continued her questioning

"_Akeno... any sign of movement?" _asked Rias as issei placed the blanket over the bloody skeletons in respect

"_I have nothing, no movement... Kiba, what about you?" _

"_I'm seeing nothing either, wait... Issei can you see me?" _in response to the knights words issei looked up to see the blonde knight wave down at him before he saw him point behind him

"_do you see that?" _Kiba asked before issei turned and quickly adopted a confused expression and gestured back with a shrug

"can you be more specific?" he asked calmly

"_I see a trail of blood leading into the sewing store behind you, can you see it know?" _upon hearing those words issei spotted the bloody foot prints before he then locked eyes onto Koneko's and gestured with a twitch of his head to follow him in

As the two approached the aforementioned store issei subconsciously activated a ting of his sacred gears gift and applied its effects to defensive attributes in case of ambushes

"_Akeno, be ready to apply support if necessary" _advised Rias as she herself listened in intently

"_I'm already in position, call it if you need it" _replied Akeno, anticipation laced in her words

"will do" as issei crept towards the store, hands raised and poised to strike, Koneko flanked him before they both stopped at the closed door

Due to the situation and its risks issei remembered how the military would handle what's universally called a 'door breach' but before he smashed his fist against the door and run in guns – fists – a blazing with fury he instead tested the doors likeliness to be locked

*Click*

His hesitation was awarded by an unlocked door that – thankfully – opened as softly as a freshly oiled gear, no squeaks and creaks

Taking a small peak into the stores interior issei spotted an over head glass window just in the center of the room's interior and stopped his entry to advise his ally "Kiba, I spotted a over head window in the center of the room, can you see anything through it?" he whispered

With his advanced hearing issei heard Kiba's un-worded reply with the sound of his moving form instead, a few seconds later he got a report "seems clear by my angle, I don't _see_ anything but don't take my word for it... if push comes to shove, I'll drop down in case you get into a hairy situation"

Nodding instinctively issei _slowly _opened the door and crept in, being extremely mind full of his footsteps on the way. Once he was in he stopped while Koneko followed and closed the door slightly

During His time in the woods back in crimson week issei found a small technique that helped him expand his hearing senses immensely, a small trick taught to him by Kiba during a 'hunting' exorcise, opening his mouth slightly issei popped his ears and held it while calmly listening for anything

Few seconds, nothing... a few _more_ seconds and Issei's now sharply acute ears picked up a sudden and heavy exhale to his 12 o' clock onto his left, narrowing his eyes issei sharpened his gifts effects and slowly crept forward

Stopping just before the next aisle issei prepared to jump the source of the sound before he felt Koneko grab his shirt and hold him back

Turning to her calmly he spotted her nod and nodded to her in response before he felt her let go, she signaled him that she had his back, a lot of communication right now was being expressed with body language and expressions, perhaps hand signals, like the one he was using now...

With a gesture of his hand issei extended three fingers before he dropped them numerically from three to zero

Three... two... one... GO!

In a sudden flurry of movement issei and Koneko lunged out from their cover and pounced the source of the sound but their actions only yielded shock and sudden disgust

In silenced shock issei and Koneko stared down at a bisected male whom seemed to have only recently passed on

"damn it" growled issei as he clenched his fists dangerously, he may have trained to near mental perfection but seeing the dead and recently dead was still a fresh subject, it didn't make him queasy – you could thank freed Sellzen for that quick lesson – but it really ticked him off when he saw it, just another innocent life spent unnecessarily due to another uncontrollable stray

Issei remained stationary as Koneko watched him, expression slightly changing to pity before she reported in her senpai's steed "survivor found... he didn't make it" she said seriously

"_I hear you Koneko... issei, you alright?" _replied Kiba before he addressed Issei's silence

Koneko watched as issei found a large knitted display blanket and dropped it over the man's body, with a sudden grunt issei replied "I'm fine... just really want this strays head on a pike right about now"

"_Agreed, to many lives have been wasted by this strays greed... Akeno, have you picked up any devil magic signatures around the parameter?"_ questioned Rias, seriousness fully awoken

"_Nothing yet... however Rias, I believe it would be wise to cut off all access to the shopping district, erect a barrier, maybe the sudden lack of escape routes would cause the stray to behave brashly making it much easier to find" _worded Akeno

"_I like it... reduces the chance of this thing escaping into the public" _added Kiba

"Alright, me and Asia will work on the... hold on... I may have a lead, Akeno erect the barrier... Hey wait!" ordered Rias before the line was cut suddenly, the last thing they heard was static

"_Wait a minute Rias... Rias!? Damn it, the lines been cut... Kiba, rendezvous with Koneko down below, issei I want you to get back to Rias and found out why she suddenly cut the line. MOVE!"_ commanded Akeno as a sudden barrier erected over head, with a lowed crash Kiba landed within the room with a sword summoned

"Issei, move like you got a purpose!" commanded the knight; issei _was_ more than ready to move at ungodly speeds to Rias' last known location however due to the recent events something responded to the change of noise volume

"_**RAAAAAHHHHH!" **_

"_**GRAAAAAHHHHH"**_

From multiple locations various roars and loud growls resounded before the ORC spotted what they were facing

"_multiple devil signatures all over the district! What's going on down there?!" _commanded Akeno, her sights were not fixed on the ground floor but rather the barriers status

"STRAY'S SPOTTED!" yelled Kiba in response as he readied his sword; Koneko wordlessly raised her fists while issei – due to the unseen enemy – activated his first stage of his gear for precautions, then he remembered what Kiba said just previously

He said 'stray's' meaning multiple stray devils were on fast approach

"_get outta there you three, it's too cramped in there to face that many!"_ yelled Akeno over the magic communicator

"_get to the roof!" _once issei heard the order he spotted Kiba fly back up the window he had crashed down in before Koneko soon followed, running to the only spot light in the room issei stopped under the window and glanced back to see if he could get a sighting of what they were running from and his throat hitched from shock

They ranged from 5 feet, to 4 feet to maybe 6 feet in size and wore normal human clothing albeit tattered but the size and clothing didn't throw issei off but rather their almost completely familiar characteristics

"Zombies!? Are you bloody kidding me?!" he yelled before he spotted one of them dash throw the closed door they had entered and close the distance to quickly, reacting at speeds faster than a corpse could dream issei simply smacked it so hard it flew to the other side of the room and slammed into a group of his friends, he guessed the result of his sudden physical assault had almost instantly killed the zombified civilian upon contact because it didn't get up

Seeing as how he was cornered on a very cluster phobic environment the brown haired teen flexed his leg muscles before he jumped to the roof with one simple leap, he hadn't noticed but one or two of the zombified civilians closed in on him only to have their internal organs rupture from the force he produced

Landing on the roof issei could only glance back down the window before he felt Kiba gently push him aside, a light red crystal in hand

"You as shock as me right now?" he questioned to the blonde teen whom glanced to him, issei could see only small amounts of surprise but more seriousness was present

"Can't really say... still adjusting to this myself" he answered as he placed his other hand over the red crystal, a few seconds later and the previous light crystal now glowed a deep crimson before the rather nice looking rock was dropped down the window

"Back up" warned the blonde knight before a lowed explosion cleared the room below them

_**VVVVP!... BOOOOOOM!**_

There was a resounded gurgle of noise below and by the 'organic' sound Issei suspected the remaining few 'zombies' below were batting away their last breathe. The crystal bomb Kiba had used was a form of a 'grenade', something the Gremory peerage was now more commonly using as side gear then just simply relying on their own powers, like the illusion ore they used against Yubelluna in the rating game the purpose of this was simply used as a form of cheap and inexpensive ordinance

When Rias had trained them in military tactics and procedures she damn well meant it... plus, they conserve more energy in using them

"Issei" called out Akeno as she handed the barrier control to Koneko for a moment, issei snapped his sights from the almost fully collapsed roofing and locked onto Akeno's serious eyes "I'm still feeling Rias' devil energy but she's moving fast, we'll handle the crowd of walking strays, you get to Rias, she can handle herself but I'm confused with her actions"

With a nod issei answered "I'm confused to but it could have been a possible sighting of the stray devil we're looking for" he answered reasonably "but be that as it may, it's still odd... anyways I'm on my way now" before Akeno could answer issei was already gone

The last thing issei saw before he jumped to the next roof was the main courtyard he was in before now completely flooded with 'them'

'_Ddraig, have you ever seen this before?' _issei asked seriously as he landed on another roof before he ran and jumped down to a lower roof

The dragon in question was silent for a moment before he answered **[not in a long time partner]**

'_And that's the best answer you have?'_ Issei's patience was thinning dangerously, as weird and serial it was to actually see let alone fight ZOMBIES the loss of innocent life was still wafting in the air like a bad odder and the lack of information was weighing heavily on his temper

_**[Ok that may have been a little vague...]**_Ddraig paused when his wielder growled before he pressed on _**[the creatures your facing are a natural 'cannon fodder' for a few supernatural beings, vampires, for example have an almost completely identical effect called 'ghoulification', when a victim is partially consumed its more than curtain the remains will rise to defend the person with the hive mind]**_explained the dragon

"Long story short, whatever is summoning or controlling these things is their main source of power... cut the connection and their done, hence the hive mind you mentioned" replied issei out loudas he ran along the edge of the roof eyeing Rias' last known position

_**[Exactly, whatever caused your master to go rogue must be the stray were looking for, though I'd hustle faster partner, the one with the hive mind isn't usually prone to staying by unguarded]**_Ddraig's warning didn't go unheard because the minute he finished explaining Issei's previously soft footsteps now dug deep into the ground forcing his speed to near blinding velocity

He had an even larger motivation to move but his speed was halted for a second when he had no choice but to leap down to the ground floor... directly onto an unsuspecting ghoul

Thinking fast issei bent his legs slightly before he kicked out, landing both feet on the ghouls shoulders

**CRAACK! CRUUNCH!**

The speed he had previously built produced the concussive force of a freight train which had reduced the ghoul's shoulders and upper torso to spontaneously explode upon contact forcing issei shut his mouth when the sudden gush of blood splashed onto his face and shirt, he watched the damn movies, dead blood is contagious... he didn't know if these were cardboard cut outs of the original zombies but taking a chance at a zombie gut smoothie wasn't on his bucket list

'_That wasn't what I expected at all, you'd think these things would have a defensive capability or something' _muttered issei as he whipped his face

_**[Well they don't partner, I can sense their genetic makeup by the blood on you... they're not the kind I was expecting at all, usually ghouls from any Youkai creature develop a superhuman speed and sometimes they'd develop super-strength later in development, but these aren't ghouls... rather something else entirely]**_

"I'm glad they don't have that strength, however I noticed before they could run... any idea why they have that development already?" as issei jogged down the path way searching for his master as well as Asia issei spotted a stray ghoul meander into his path but before he could body check it hockey style Ddraig piped up

_**[Don't kill it, grab it with your dragon hand... the blood on you has clotted already and I can't get anything from it anymore]**_ ordered the dragon causing issei to nod before he summoned his geared gauntlet, slamming his front foot into the ground issei forced his momentum to a grinding halt

Before the ghoul could lung at him he lashed out with his gauntleted hand and lifted the – sadly young female - ghoul up by the throat, since the hand was metal scales up to his elbow issei didn't worry about it biting, it'd break its teeth before it even scratched his red dragon hand

_**[Now boost, for whatever reason I still can't make out its energy circuits and origin] **_added Ddraig

**BOOOST!**

"Now can you sense it?" issei asked aloud

_**[Just a second, the energy I'm searching for isn't its own, since most ghouls work with a hive mind there's a possible chance the stray your hunting may have left its devil energy inside for added safety]**_Ddraig replied as issei watched his gauntlet pulse red before he spotted red cracks appear on the ghouls skin, around the neck and then up to the cheeks

'_So technically you're hacking its energy pattern' _his words forced a small chuckle to escape the inner dragon

_**[Basically, call it supernatural hacking if you will]**_piped Ddraig

'_Didn't know I could do that?'_

_**[You can't, only I can... it's sort of a partnership attribute, since you're one of the few who could actually communicate with me this ability of mine is activated, I'd have no access otherwise] **_

After that the dragon fell silent, causing issei to hum in amusement at the dragon's unintentional compliment. For a good minute issei watched the ghoul in his hands before he glanced around, he felt his patience draining by the minute but then he remembered that he still had his magic communicator, his devil sensing powers weren't as good as Akeno nor Kiba's and the thought of Rias and Asia being in trouble while he literally stood around was causing him to become impatient with the dragon inside of him, with his free hand issei pressed his right hand against his ear and opened the comm's link to all listeners

"Akeno, do you have status on Rias' location? I've been cut off in unknown waters" he asked, a minute later and a sound of static opened up before Akeno's choppy voice cut in

"_I...you... her... location... deeper...district... *heavy static*..."_ seeing as how the comm's link was interfered with something issei dropped the connection after he heard the heavy static

'_That's odd, never thought a magic comm's link could be jammed... damn it" _looking back to the ghoul in his hands issei watched with confusion while the ghoul remained almost close to relaxed, it had ceased its feeble attempts at escaping and now looked almost sedated, the red cracks on its face had now reached the top of the head and now its eyes were fully glowing red, if issei guessed with common sense then Ddraig must've finally penetrated the ghouls 'genetic fire wall'

Still made him feel odd though

"Hey Ddraig you done yet?" questioned issei but he didn't receive an answer, however what happened next startled him

The ghoul in his grip began to glow internally, red light began to seep through the cracks on the ghoul's skin and issei felt an energy rise from the ghoul dangerously unstable to be normal

"What the hell" he worded suddenly before he quickly – by instinct – tossed the undead creature away, red electricity sparked from the sudden detachment in connection and by then the ghoul seemed to re-establish its directive and run towards issei but before it could reach a dangerous distance it exploded in a red mist

**KBBOOOOM! **

Shielding his eyes slightly from any possible shrapnel the brown haired teen dropped his arm to see the ghoul had literally disintegrated

"That was violent..." he said before he glanced down to his red gauntlet "Ddraig, can you hear me now?"

Silence

**BANG!**

In a quick motion issei slammed the gauntlet against the brick wall beside him before he again called out to his internally silent partner "Oi!... Ddraig, this silence is pissing me off, speak up!"

"_**Partner..."**_Came the voice issei had been hunting for

"Well it's about time Ddraig, what the heck happened back there?" issei was expecting an answer but he didn't get an answer and by that point he had finally registered Ddraig's previous tone of extreme seriousness

"_**Find your master, now"**_he worded, deeply serious

"Huh? I know that, I'm asking what you learned, where's the stray? Why did that ghoul explode? and why are you so damn serious all of the sudden?" issei was confused, for the month he had known Ddraig issei was fully aware of Ddraig's lack of 'energy', it was almost as if he was not at all invested in any events, only the ones involving his growth as his gear wielder but right now he felt the dragons complete undivided attention

"_**There's no time to answer, find you master... I'm tracking her right now, she's moving – with the blonde girl – through the plaza a few blocks to your right, MOVE! NOW**_**!" **Ddraig's command was absolute, flexing his legs muscles issei exploded into a blinding sprint with no questions pressed

Ducking and weaving through debris such as destroyed laps posts and bamboo trees issei gunned it through the first plaza before he spotted the entrance way to the next plaza to be blocked off by a large pile of rubble

Without stopping issei bent his legs before he jumped over the debris and through the destroyed glass roofing before he landed in the next plaza to see a small residue of black and red energy linger on a group of dead ghouls, a multitude of explosions resounded in the cut off section to his right forcing his sights to lock on a flurry of red and black bolts firing in quick succession at a sprinting mob of ghouls

He couldn't see Rias but he guessed the distance was closed between him and her, the trail of destruction he had followed in was evident of his master's powers

"Rias!" he yelled before he charged a powerful level of devil energy in his right hand before he released it at the cluster of ghouls, the loud call caused the undead horde to pause in their advance only to see a beam of red energy smack into their ranks, eviscerating the lot of them easily enough and inadvertently open up a path for him

"Ise?" called out the familiar voice, wordlessly the teen jogged to the now howled out plaza to see his master and Asia – both in well condition – to be holding out their position inside a destroyed convenience store

Stopping in his light jog issei stopped to assess the damage in the third plaza, all of the court yards many chairs and tables were either up turned or destroyed while some of the stores adjacent to the one his master was in had many large craters along the walls and windows and the plaza itself looked to have been the center of a firefight with dead ghouls littering the courtyard, to put it simple, it looked like a wreck

However the plaza's condition wasn't his main priority

"Buchou are you and Asia alright?" he asked as he walked over to her, his confusion levels rose when all of the sudden his master as well as Asia jumped him in joy

"Your alright... thank Lucifer your alright" whispered the red head as Asia gripped him tightly, normally he'd comfort them but their worries and emotions confused him greatly, what the hell was going on?... if this was an A-class stray devil hunt then he'd have to talk to Rias about _not _upgrading to the next level, first they fought a naked stray that flung acid from her tits, then exploding Zombies, what's next? Naked acid flinging zombies that explode?

He felt a migraine hit him softly at the thought

"Um?... buchou, what happened back there?" he asked suddenly, all the while ignoring the affection he was getting – wrong time wrong place – before he pressed the issue "we were fine at first but you suddenly ran, why?"

Rias sat back up from hugging him before she whipped her eyes calmly, Asia however still gripped him tightly, he wasn't complaining about it, and as a matter of fact he felt her close proximity lifted a form of stress off his shoulders

"I found a survivor running and I followed him... he's right here" she said before issei noticed a man was standing inside the store, he had black hair and dressed in a magnitude of classy attire, a black dress shirt sat underneath a leather vest while he had skinny dress pants and shoes, a few drops of blood adored his features and his young face looked scared and confused, but he looked fine none the less

"Hey..." issei called out forcing the man to lock his orange eyes with his green and slitted eyes "you ok?"

The man hesitated for a second before he nodded shakily "Y-yeah... what the hell's wrong with your eyes? He asked in shocked confusion

Issei had remembered he had yet to deactivate his dragon gift, however, because of the war zone they were in he didn't deactivate it so he simply cringed at the question before looking at Rias with a troubled expression that said 'I'm not doing it, you do it' to which Rias bite the bullet and looked at the man apologetically

"I'm sorry to say Maxus but were not humans, however, do not worry, our intentions are for your safety" she said and the man, Maxus, seemed unconvinced but remained stationary... Odd, issei expected him to run yet he just stayed put, guess Rias' acts to insure his safety before reconvicted him of his instinct to remain

'_**Partner...' **_came Ddraig's voice

But it was to quiet for issei to hear since now his attention was questioning Rias' actions "so Rias, why did you cut the connection?"

This line of conversation brought a confused expression onto the red headed devil before she answered "I didn't cut the connection" she said shaking her head but issei narrowed his eyes in further confusion

"Back when we investigated that store you gave orders and were about to erect a barrier but then you got side tracked with... I'm guessing him" he said while jabbing a thumb to Maxus "before our link with you died"

"It just died?"

In response to her issei gestured the hand signal of flat lined before he pressed his answer "heavy static, no reply... the whole shebang" her lack of knowledge on the matter was extremely questionable

'_**Partner...' **_Ddraig's voicecalled again

'_Not now Ddraig, shits weird right now' _he said back to the now audible dragon before he went back to Rias

"We've been trying to reach you for the past haft hour" he informed her before Rias widened her eyes

"We? Akeno and them are okay? I heard them all... they sounded in trouble" she stopped mid sentence which caused issei to watch her sudden decline into complete confusion thus forcing him down an even more confused path, if there was anything that could describe their emotions right now it would be... what? Huh?... Asia was simply lost at the reunion part

"What the hell's happening? First I hear everything collapse all around me, then I find a survivor, next I hear everything suddenly..." by this time Rias was holding her head as if in pain before she slowly looked up at him with distrustful eyes "Ise, are you really Ise?"

'_how many times am I going to say 'what' before I can paten the bloody word' _thought issei sarcastically,Rias' previous question sounded insulting but yet issei found no need to feel that way, everything felt like a complete mess of bullshite on a crusted roll and he felt no sudden hostility from her but rather a sudden decline down confusion road

_**[Partner, listen to me... **_**now****] **growled the dragon dangerously in Issei's ear causing him to suddenly retract his attention from the confused red head immediately "What is it? Can't you see I'm busy?"

_**[Maxus isn't human]**_

As if the realization was the trigger issei suddenly felt a cold sensation run down his spine when he fully registered Ddraig's words, slowly issei raised his head and locked his eyes on the – previously terrified – Maxus who was now leaning lazily against the door frame of the store, an entertained expression was filling his dark smirk as he glowered down at them with glowing orange orbs

'_**Took ya awhile to figure it out, but I wonder... was it you who figured it out? Or was it your little dragon bunk buddy?'**_came a distorted voice from inside his head

'_What the hell?' _questioned issei suddenly, he felt almost mentally violated at the assault of voices pounding in his head whenever the voice spoke

'_**Careful... wouldn't want you to die from confusion there, that'd been rather anticlimactic, entertaining, but boring'**_came the voice a second time

'_Ddraig? Is that you?" _asked Issei quickly, he felt terror begin to set in at how lonely he felt for whatever reason

**[Partner, calm down, he's telepathically manipulating you... SNAP OUT OF IT!" **bellowed the dragon, forcing whatever that was consuming him to reverse back, red energy enveloped him and the others causing them to snap out of whatever trance they had as well, from the corner of his eye issei spotted the slightly angered expression on the man's expression at the turn of events

"**I was hoping to grind out the rust on that ability" **he started before he shifted his eyes too suddenly and unnaturally lock onto Issei's with a contorted frown **"But it seems your dragon friend is more active then I was expecting"**

Seeing the man's expression and sudden shift in stance, issei grabbed Rias and Asia and rolled uncomfortably to the side to avoid a wave of black smoke that leveled their previous location

**CRASH!**

With the force behind the man's swing of his hand the slightly damaged building behind them collapsed while issei lifted himself up, boosted gear gauntlet visible and his dragon gift unleashed

"BUCHOU! ASIA! Snap out of it!" he yelled catching the two's lost expression

"Issei?" they both asked, confusion levels well past annoying at this point... the man raised his hand again

"MOVE!" He barked suddenly while grabbing Asia and Rias roughly by the wrist before he jumped up to a roof top, carrying them with him

Landing on the roof Issei forced the two down and gestured 'sh' with his hands before he glanced down to the ground floor to see Maxus simply standing there, grin etched on his face as he eyed the plume of smoke left behind in their stead

Seeing as how he must've not seen them issei sighed before he looked away and hid himself from Maxus's view... however if he was still looking then he might've seen Maxus gaze suddenly look directly to the roof and vanish into smoke

Crawling back to Rias and Asia he felt almost close to face palming at their still gravely confused expressions, Maxus really did a number on their awareness it seems

Before Rias could ask the obvious question issei suddenly raised his hand with one finger outstretched "Don't ask it, please _don't _ask it, if I hear one more damn confused question imma level a skyscraper... just listen" he said with extremely high levels of annoyance

"A haft hour ago Rias, you cut the direct line of communication with the four of us, that being Akeno, Kiba, Koneko, and myself..." Rias looked to want to asked another obvious question but he again interrupted her "To which they are all Just perfectly fine, I'm sure they've erected a big enough body count to make Jeffery Dahmer wet himself" his metaphor was morbid but it gave the message just fine it seemed

"I-I... sorry" apologised Rias as she lowered her head "I have no idea what's going on right now, I'm only getting splotches here and there, all of it completely wrong"

**[You are not at fault, Rias Gremory, if not for the manipulative field then most of this wouldn't have happened] **announced Ddraig for the first time in a long time

?!

"Manipulative field?" questioned Asia as she finally shook herself from her confusion

**[Yes, when I was searching for an energy source in one of those ghouls I found traces of **_**demon**_** energy within the corpse and after small exposure to it did I finally become aware of the magically distorting field... which explains, partner, why you weren't able to fully hear that queens words very clearly, it was because you were directly within the border of the fields effects]**

As Ddraig spoke Rias' eyes widened at one word he mentioned, everything she heard made perfect sense however 'demon' was the biggest bell rung in her head

"Did... did you just say 'demon' Ddraig?"

**[I did, if you don't believe me then ask him yourself] **replied the dragon before they heard a sudden whirlwind of smoke develop behind them, reacting quickly Rias and issei jumped to their feet and readied themselvesas the image of Maxus step before them, angered expression lacing his features

"Maxus?" questioned Rias in confusion

"**Wrong**" growled the man whose name was not Maxus, the now unnamed man simply dropped his angered expression and sighed **"that dragon of yours is really hampering my well thought up entrances" **he said as he stopped 10 feet from them

Issei simply gestured Asia to back away some more before he redirected his gaze back onto the man while Rias' expression seemed terrified, uncharacteristically so, while he could also visibly see her trembling

_**[Partner, be wary, Rias Gremory's emotional state right now is critical, you may be fighting alone] **_reminded the dragon internally, nodding slightly issei prepared to fully activate his dragon gift

"A-are... Are you..." stuttered Rias catching the man's uncaring expression to shift onto her "Are you a... demon?" she finally finished

In a manner that seemed unfit for the moment the man smiled, however it looked painfully forced "Yes I am"

As if the answer triggered a basic instinct Rias almost dropped to the floor but she continued none the less "that's not possible...they all fell during the civil war centuries ago" she said defiantly, the idea of a demon standing before them was ludicrous so it was a pill she couldn't swallow

"_**Most **_**of****them fell, however, that seems to be an obvious lie" **he replied, standing absolutely still

"Then what is your name?" she asked suddenly

The demon stood by and mold over his options before he made a 'why not' gesture

Bowing in a mock manner the demon let black smoke roll of his shoulders and torso before he introduced himself **"My name is Malthus... Demon of war, and harbinger of chaos"** he said making complete eye contact with the red head, eyes ablaze with orange fury **"I see no worry in revealing my name to a dead woman"**

For a moment all was silent and the only positive expression was the now deep and twisted smile on Malthus's face

"El Diablo" muttered Asia, her previous profession kicking in instinctively

Malthus suddenly dropped his smile and replaced it with a fake shocked expression, a raised brow soon followed **"why thank you young lady**" he replied before he pretended to tilt a hat to the blonde **"you are to kind to complement me with such a fine title"**

Dropping his fake expression he returned to a serious expression **"now I do remember I had a goal to achieve here" **he said before he placed a hand on his chin before he snapped his fingers **"Oh, now I remember!" **

Dropping to a low stance Malthus summoned two swords from black smoke before he moved at in human speeds towards Rias

"**Your death" **he muttered before he suddenly appeared before the terrified red head, swords placed in a scissor like position around her neck, face dangerously close to Rias'

**CRASH!**

Before the demon could decapitate his master, issei pulsed his dragon aura to dangerous levels causing Malthus to dodge away, a disappointed expression on his face

"**Should have tanked that..." **he muttered to himself before he reappeared to Issei's right side, right handed sword primed to swing **"Could you be a dear and get outta of the way dragon boy" **he sneered before he sung his blade

Dropping into a quick secure stance issei readied for the block all the while redirecting his gifts attributes to defensive

**CLANG!**

Right arm held firm and red energy pulsing off of the forearm issei completely halted the swords swing and even cracked the blade a slight bit

"**Now that's interesting..."** muttered the demon as he stared down at the serious stricken pawn, he hadn't a clue why this demon was so terrifying to his master – who was still paralyzed – to such levels but he didn't care, Ddraig had warned him he'd be fighting alone anyway

Without a witty reply issei quickly brought his left gauntleted hand up and sent it into the direction of Malthus's face who responded by swiftly changing his other sword to a reverse grip and parried his left hook

Smirking slightly in amusement Malthus stepped from the pretzel they found themselves in causing issei to stumble forward slightly before he quickly rolled and jumped back to his feet within a 2 second time frame

The red glass like energy around the boy was now rolling off his shoulders like a calm flame while green slighted eyes – now glowing dangerously – narrowed in a glare at Malthus's amused expression

"**You got balls kid, do you have any..." **

**BOOOM!**

Malthus stood by, eyes slightly widened at the close proximity the previous blast of energy had to the right side of his head, had he not shifted his head to the side then he might've felt that

Glancing behind him Malthus smirked when he noticed anything that stood in the way of the blast cut through all obstacles like a hot knife through butter... he would have really felt that

"**Tsk... it's always something" **he started before he rubbed his head as if emulating an oncoming head ache **"first that damn priest scars me and then when I find my target she's protected by an actual threat... this week just keeps getting more and more complicated" **he finished with a grumble, eyes lazily glued onto Issei's silent and serious eyes

"You really like to run that mouth of yours, don't you?" questioned issei dangerously

Malthus simply shrugged "**Imaging being forced into silence for 5 centuries... I'd imaging you'd have a lot to say after that"** he reasoned

However issei didn't humble him with a shift in understanding "I'm just bleeding with sympathy for ya..." he started "But aside from that, why are you here to kill Rias? She doesn't know you nor has she done anything to you" questioned the boy forcing Malthus to close his eyes in small amounts of annoyance

"**No matter the occasion, the 'hero' always questions the motives of the villain, but nothing really comes out of it"** Malthus then outstretched his arms in gesture **"would you join my cause if I told you I was going out for vengeance? No, of course not, that would only disrupt the plot"**

Stopping in his villainous monologue Malthus simply examined his cracked sword before dropping it and then examining his second one, clicking his tongue in affirmation Malthus nodded at it before he stabbed the sword into the roof before he leaned on it lazily

"So all you want is vengeance? What did Rias do to you to earn that? I won't ask again! An enemy of Rias is an enemy of mine" barked issei, red aura growing in intensity

Lazily Malthus chuckled **"of course it is, you were brought from the dead to answer the bidding of a selfish low born hell spawn for the rest of your life... Oh! And by the way?" **he sneered before he poked a finger at the red head **"Did she ever ask for your permission?" **he asked deeply

However issei remained unmoved before he looked at Malthus dismissively "Physiological warfare, create distrusts and orchestrate the fall of a unit from within the minds of your enemy... we've been there..." he revealed before he narrowed his eyes at Malthus "...used that"

"**Oh?" **sneered Malthus as he titled his head mockingly **"Oh that's good... heheh Oh that's real good" **by this point issei could sense the demons rise in demonic energy as if energized by his words **"Only the weak fall to words alone, but your strong"**

"are you going to answer my question?" questioned issei dangerously as he released more of his power, Malthus chuckled darkly before he pulled his sword from the ground and twirled it in the air for intimidation purposes

"**I believe I've said enough" **was the demons response before black smoke began to envelop his body

Before issei could realize it Malthus was already upon him, seeing as how his guard was down the back hand that Malthus was sending to him crashed painfully against his cheek

"Gah!" **BOOM! CRASH!**

"**I have no time – sadly – to prance around and play with you... as much as I wish to I still have a schedule to follow" **finished Malthus as he watched the concrete wall Issei had run into crumble

Looking away from where issei had landed Malthus revered his gaze onto a worried and scared Rias Gremory whom quickly noticed the cold and wild orange orbs locked onto her

A second later and a hand was wrapped tightly around her throat, a cold sensation flowed through her not just from the odd temperature the demons skin had but rather the killing intent behind it

"**Now be a good girl and die for me... this may not be enough to fuel it but I'm sure I can arrange a perfect crime scene for your brother"** growled Malthus as he slowly squeezed

"_Gah... Ise..."_ wheezed the red head as she stared into the damned orange orbs before her, all Malthus did was smile mockingly

"**And the damsel in distress cries for help...again"** as if on command Rias suddenly saw flashes of the rating game with Riser flash before her eyes **"keep on crying for help little devil, I'm curious how you'll manage that with a pencil for a neck"**

Darkly, Malthus smiled down at the red head whose eyes were close to closing before something shocking happened

**BING!**

"**Ow! Who in the – **

**BING!**

The sound of metal hitting something caught Rias' attention and for a moment the grip on her neck weakened, opening her eyes she spotted Asia, metal pipe in hand, an angered but fearful expression on her features all the while swinging at Malthus who now let her go in favor of grabbing the metal pipe In defense

"**Why you little haft breed" **growled Malthus with extreme voice distortion, by the way his expression looked Rias knew full well what Asia had incurred

"ASIA! DON'T!" yelled Issei's voice from his spot in the concrete

In slow motion Malthus's sword raised high and his eyes glowed with fury rage at being assaulted twice while All issei could do was fight the concrete pinning him down

Taking a deep breath Rias collected herself and acted against her bodies desire to stay down

Red and black devil energy coiled around her arms before she pointed it to Malthus's sword arm "Don't you dare touch her!" she yelled slightly hoarsely but before she could fire her already weak destruction shot a pale yellow bolt of lightning struck the man against his chest firing him away at its pure kinetic force

'_Akeno!'_ yelled Rias internally as she watched Koneko, Kiba and Akeno land between her and were Malthus had landed

"Rias, Are you alright?" questioned Akeno as she picked up a scared Asia, the small girl had come eerily close to death and her movements ceased completely

Shaking the light headedness from her head, Rias felt the blood rush back out evenly before she answered "I'm fine, just light headed... how is Asia?" she asked worriedly

Assessing the girl's expression Akeno could tell she was in shock, she'd be paralyzed for a short while

"She's fine, but she's in a state of shock... Rias, who was that?" questioned Akeno as Koneko helped Issei from out of the wreckage, Kiba was keeping his eyes trained on where Malthus was sent

Rias hesitated for a moment before she gritted it away and answered honestly "A demon, he called himself 'Malthus'... he wanted to kill me"

Akeno widened her eyes at the answer "A Demon? But their –

"**Extinct?" **answered a distorted voice,from among the shadows Malthus stepped out from behind the roofs entrance way causing the lot of them to jump into prime combat stances

"So you are the stray devil" answered Kiba as he readied a second sword, but all Malthus did was smile at the blonde's words

"**Didn't that red headed low born already say what I was?" **growled Malthus towards Kiba, the sudden sharp gaze of orange orbs sent a instinctual pulse through the knights body** "I am **_**far **_**from any stray devil boy, the only stray devil here is the one who prove more of useful than anything" **he said, revealing a small tad bit of information

"Useful?" questioned Rias as she stood up fully

"**Yes, however... the effects it created were low substantial to my ultimate goal" **Malthus's gaze trailed down to the ground floor where a horde of ghouls shambled around **"very primitive, but at least it worked"**

Issei's eyes darkened when he understood Malthus's meaning "You mean to tell me all of this was a simple test?!" he yelled loudly making Malthus smile at him

"**Precisely... and that stray provided the means to create those smaller strays quickly... sure I had to decimate a small populace of human on lookers and consume a devils soul to unlock it but... nah wait, I don't have any soft "regretful" words to say about it"** Malthus scratched the side of his head before he noticed a black and red wave of devil magic race towards him

"**Tsk..." **clicking his tongue Malthus batted the attack away with ease before he quickly dispersed into back smoke to avoid a double sword barrage from the blonde knight

"**Hehehehe, you all are so easy to taunt!" **he yelled in laughter as he landed on another building's roof, expression back to a serious one, he was about to continue but Malthus suddenly dropped his bloodlust smile in favor of frowning

"**So... **_**he's **_**arrived" **he muttered out loud, gaze locked onto the dark night sky behind him **"Well that changes things" **turning back around to the Gremory peerage Malthus was ready to depart but he suddenly had to stop a horizontal sword swing directed to his neck... with his bare hand

"**That was rude... especially to someone with his back turned" **with a low growl Kiba realized he was trapped and had no choice but to let go of the blade before jumping back away from Malthus's reach

Landing softly on the ground below Kiba was open for an attack but Koneko jumped in front of him, however Malthus wasn't attacking

"**Sorry kids... parties over" **he said before he began to leave

"Wait!" yelled issei causing Malthus to pause in his exit, an annoyed expression on his face

"You're just going to leave? After all that you've done" issei said

Malthus analyzed the boy's words before he narrowed his eyes **"of course I am, I've got more important things to do then clean up a mess I **_**purposely**_** made, now be a good pawn and****clean up this mess" **with the demons final words Malthus went silent before he suddenly shifted his gaze towards the larger building a few blocks behind the Gremory peerage

Before Issei could word his frustration they all heard a loud roar a few blocks from their position, the barrier from before was still up and now that the magically distortion field was gone the blue shield around the shopping district was clear to see

"There!" yelled Kiba who pointed at a small section in the shopping district, the sight they all saw disturbed them, the creature they were looking at was obviously the stray devil "wraith" but its name did little to describe it

Standing at 15 feet tall, the creature looked like a hulking behemoth with a true 'demon like' appearance, it had large massive horns piercing through the top of its skull while its eyes were doubled to a total of four eyes, one above another on either side all the while glowing a deep orange, its right arm had a type of bone like expenditure that seemed close to a wrist blade while the left arm was merged with some metallic canon and it to glowed a fierce orange

"What the hell is that thing?" questioned Kiba, his calm 'pretty boy' persona was dropped long before the hunt

"**I'm glad you asked Boy..." **started Malthus before he eyed the creature closely **"**_**that**_** is what happens when a devil is exposed to pure demonic energy... oh and I removed the last remnants of its human soul, it was cramping my style" **

Malthus seemed to sound like a school kid on a really good day, all that was happening before them seemed close to a decisive plan unfolding **"did I forget to mention that arm is a sacred gear? Primitive and weak among the Longinus sacred gears but it'll do for now" **as Malthus 'taught' the class before him what his new pet was made of the massive beast suddenly, as if to demonstrate its sacred gear, charged up a massive orange shot and cut a massive trench into a horde of ghouls, vaporizing the lot of them completely

"**Think of the sacred gear as a catalyst for my influence, it may be an artificial sacred gear built by a **_**Crow**_** but with the power of a demon at its disposal the limits are out of eye sight, hahaha... Damn, that things badass looking" **Malthus's giddy words were all the Gremory's heard as the massive 15 foot behemoth rampaged through the shopping district

Their attention was halted when suddenly Malthus was standing among them, but he wasn't as close to them as he was to Rias 'frozen' Gremory **"Now, this is a test... all this is, is a simple 'abnormal' stray devil hunt, you never met me nor do you know I exist, mention my presents to **_**anyone **_**and I'll hunt and slaughter the Gremory family entirely... am I clear?" **it was dangerously evident that Malthus was _not _lying – the glowing orange orbs was closely evident of his intentions – so all Rias did was nod in sheer paralyzed fear

"**Good, if that Satan of yours knows I exist then I'll have no choice but to start my operation early, you **_**don't **_**want that to happen, Kapeesh?" **again, all he got was a nod, Rias wasn't even aware that Malthus's warning was all but a lie, if she wasn't so scare however she might've been aware of that

Before the others caught his presents he was gone like the wind, a black smoke was all that remained before they were left with a partially destroyed shopping district and a massive creature, who didn't seem at all happy

Rias simply stood by, frozen, the words of Malthus was almost enchanted with demonic effects, Malthus didn't warn her with words alone, he did in fact paralyze her with a type of fear inducement... fear can detour ones courage and in this case it worked perfectly

All in her mind Rias scrambled for a sentiment of solace, the fear she felt was unnatural and unwelcome – obviously – normally when a dangerous person gets up in her grill she barely even flinches but when you learn you were within kissing distance with a demon then that thought alone can creep out even the most powerful devil around, then add the small fear inducement spell that he cast on her left Rias within uncharted territory

'_What the hell did we walk into?_' she questioned in despair

They had arrogantly walked into a demon testing ground with only the small knowledge that all this was, was a devil stray hunt, no demon, no bloody zombies, and NO BARON OF HELL! In a case of wrong place, _worst_ time Rias classified the situation as FUBAR and it was well past 'fucked'

The case was strange when she was batting ghouls away left right and center but what she faced after – brain splitting confusion and all – showed her that everything she _thought _she was prepared for was a complete ego trip on her part

And now... what she was looking at was exactly what those history books in school down in hell described to her was a full blown high ranking demon... and not just that, it was a high ranking _modified _demon, she first thought baron of hell but it was too large to be a baron, its rank was undistinguished and withheld due to its sheer level of horror it reaped on the battle field

To put it simply, she and her peerage were facing a straight example of what the devils in hell called "the dark ages" a time long since it came to be but its lessons never forgotten, Rias as well as a few of the others, minus Issei and Asia, knew what the creature was, not by name but rather image

The demon, Malthus, had told them all that the stray devil was exposed to high doses of pure demonic energy rendering him insane, while the mutation was out of place it didn't really need an explanation, just by remembering her many classes back in the day she knew full well that in a devils eyes, demonic energy is like a form of radiation, prolonged exposure causes madness, and even more exposure causes grotesque mutations like the one they were staring at

Hell was a borderless domain completely filled with demonic energy, Rias didn't know how the devils weren't affected by it but she guessed the four Satan's had an influence in that matter, she never really asked before but after tonight... well, her brother was going to be interrogated, and that was a promise

However, mentioning Malthus was out of the question... for the time being at least

"Buchou?" came a questioning voice, glancing towards the source Rias noticed Issei's worried expression "You ok?" he asked again

Shaking her head Rias stood back up, she hadn't noticed she was on her knees until know "I'm... fine, just give me a moment" she replied before she took a deep breath, a second after and she could feel her confidence return, that fear inducement worked but it didn't work for very long

Before she was scared but now it felt like a bad dream, Malthus was real but he wasn't here anymore, so for now, she could feel confidence and with that she steeled her emotions back, they had a stray to destroy and worrying about emotions right now was not on her bucket list

The others stood by in silence as Rias collected herself but they didn't need to wait long "alright... let's kill us a demon" she announced

The others said nothing; however they did smile at her tone of determination

Acting on instinct Akeno stepped forward "I'm counting a total of twenty five remaining ghouls present in the shopping district, most of them spread out, the stray devil killed a good chunk before but the ghouls still pose a threat of spreading. I've set a timer on the barriers life span and right now we have only thirty minutes before the barrier falls... think we have enough time?" she informed seriously

"More than enough" replied Rias before she pointed to Kiba "Kiba, your on crowd control, find and destroy all remaining ghouls, Akeno direct him on his hunt" she ordered causing Akeno to nod before she informed Kiba of his first stop, a moment later and the knight was gone

"Koneko, do you spot any weakness?" questioned Rias, Issei wasn't to invested in the subject but from what he knows so far is that Rias differs to Koneko on range evaluation more than herself, guess Koneko had sharp eyes

Shaking her head Koneko replied calmly "nothing to critical... it lacks speed and has poor lateral movement" she informed making Rias nod

"From what I can tell, that sacred gear it has fused with its arm may create some problems, id say taking it out first would make this easier" recommended Akeno, again Rias nodded all the while processing a battle strategy

"Since its movements lack necessary speed to block, Koneko" started Rias causing the white haired girl to turn to her "take out its knee's, I don't want it surprising us so do whatever you can to cripple it" with that order Koneko prepared to rush in but instead of doing so she waited for back up

"Issei, I want you to try and cripple its right arm, that bone blade has some reach, take it out" now with his orders Issei followed Koneko in for their assault

"Akeno, me and you will play as air support... same drill as always" with the small orders, the two beauties took to the skies and in a matter of seconds, the massive hulk of a stray _demon _was assaulted on three fronts

A large spike of pain erupted from its right leg causing It to release a large roar in anger and pain, turning its large horned head to were the pain came from it released a low almost confused snarl at the lack of aggressor but it then quickly roar again when a larger pain spiked in its right arm and again its head snapped to his throbbing limb and just like its leg it saw nothing

Koneko and issei had used quick hit and run tactics in forcing the pain and by the loud roars it released they were doing damage, but Issei knew for a fact that if a target that big Roar at a hit it usually didn't mean it hurt, but rather it pissed it off

A second latter and his theory was proven correct

The rouge demon had felt two to many hits land on its being and it be damned – heheh – if more landed, it seemed like it didn't have a mind to fight but its basic instinct to combat fast moving targets was to rampage until it destroyed all hiding spots, so it did

**VVVVVVVVVVV!**

A sound eerily similar to a charging energy source was picked up by both issei and Koneko who quickly turned around and spotted the rouge demon to be charging its sacred gear and for some reason its target was their general direction

"Oh shit!" yelled issei before he grab Koneko and pulsed a powerful leap out from the canons path

**BOOOOM! **

A massive explosion erupted from their previous location, and Issei felt a small aftershock pulsed over him as well as a small amount of demonic energy washed over them, Koneko shivered in his arms signifying that she felt it as well

"_Issei, Koneko give me your status!" _barked Rias over their communication link

"We'refine buchou, just a little shaken" replied issei before Koneko added in her two cents

"Its canon has a demonic after effect... Stay away"

"_Alright, recommence your attack... we have 26 minutes to bring this thing down, so hustle!" _the sound of loud roars and lightning showed that they were currently locked in ranged combat with the rouge demon

Glancing down to Koneko issei questioned her status "You up for round two?" he asked, Koneko simply got out of his grasp calmly before she nodded

"Its weak physically... hit harder" she advised emotionlessly

"Heh, say no more" with a flex of his arms issei activated his "stage one" dragon force, he had started to call it dragon force since 'gift' was getting old fast

The familiar green aura from before danced around him gracefully while red electricity coiled around his body, at his actions Koneko nodded before she to flexed her fingers and pounding her fist into her palm

"I'd say its legs will go first" started issei before he charged to the edge of the roof before he pounced forward at high speed, Koneko watched for the impact before following

On his speedy travel to his target issei watched as pale yellow and black and red devil magic slammed into the rouge painfully, it was bleeding from almost head to toe but it remained standing, a quick guess and Issei distinguished its bone structure was probably its strongest defense while its muscles still lacked a curtain fiber to actually do a defensive job, but so far all it seemed to do was act as a literal meat shield

**[Partner, I've deduced the demonic energy inside the demon] **piped in Ddraig as issei paned off from his assault

"You did? Alright then, shoot" landing on the ground below issei twisted around and punched a red dragon shot, weak in power but enough to attract its attention from the others

**[It's pretty easy to make out, from its previous canon shot I felt an unstable pressure within its contents] **the dragon paused when issei had to barrel roll out of the path of a flying slab of concrete

"Woah... Didn't think it could improvise" muttered the teen as he shot another dragon shot, hitting its head perfectly, in return for his accuracy the beast roared in pain but continued none the less

"Continue"

**[All I can guess is that the cannon shots are based off of unstable demonic energy, quick rundown but from what I can remember it's almost relatable to nuclear energy, very destructive but highly unresponsive, the only thing it can do is fire off small portions in 'cannon' like states] **as Ddraig explained his findings issei watched as the beast roared loudly before it pointed its canon arm at him, the barrel of the massive cannon lit up before a large orange ball of demonic energy sped past his being, he obviously dodged at the right time, he might be able to tank it but he didn't have the devil equivalent of a hazmat suit

**BOOOM!**

Rolling into a destroyed store issei wasted zero time in gunning it out the back door, a second later and the massive hulk of a rouge demon blasted through the store like a bull in a china shop

"I think I pissed it off!" yelled issei as he watched the beast almost charge after him, key word 'almost'

He may have been fighting it alone for a moment but it was only to allow his fellow peerage members to regroup and recollect themselves, he even spotted Kiba among their ranks... the ghouls were dealt with then

As he was distracting it Koneko was lying in wait, and when the chance presented its self she struck with extreme force, it didn't break its bone but the hard rook punch to the knee cap did cause it to trip and as soon as its fell on its stomach a large number of red and black spears pierced its back, one in the lower spine and two in the right side of its lower back

**ROAAAAAAAAAARRRRR!**

Issei expected it to be close to dead or paralyzed after the surgical strikes courtesy of Rias but all it did was roar louder than before, again they pissed it off

As it stood up issei spotted something on its back, on the left side where the shoulder blade was located looked to be a turbine, it even looked to be spinning clockwise in a manner and even when it started to charge up another cannon shot in retaliation to Rias' assault did the turbine on its back light up orange

Like any other teenager alive with experience with video games issei immediately knew it was a weak point of thought it was a sweet spot, so in a simple manner issei charged a moderate amount of dragon/devil energy into a dragon shot before aiming it at the turbine, a single air punch later and a red orb of destruction was sent towards the turbine

Issei expected it to explode violently, killing it almost easily but what happened after his attempt change his expectations, instead of destroying the arm and the beast the orb of red was simply _sucked_ into the turbine

It did look to have startled the demon since it quickly dropped to a knee but all it did after was turn, glare angrily at him, and then shoot at him instead of Rias, red and orange energy collected together as it sped towards the shocked issei

Acting quickly issei exchanged his dragon force to dragon skin and a second later and he was sent flying back from the direct hit with the demon cannon

**CRASH!**

Ungracefully, issei slammed into a buildings wall and felt a good portion of his energy drain suddenly

"_Issei!" _yelled the peerage in worry; the attack was unexpected so none of them expected a sudden casualty like that

"Aye... imma feel that tomorrow" wheezed issei as he slid down the wall; his dragon force was long since dismissed for unknown reasons

"_You're alright?" _questioned Rias in confusion; he sounded perfectly fine, only winded

"Yeah..." he muttered "just a little banged up... My dragon force is down for some reason so I'm out for the time being"

"_Damn it... Asia can you check on him for me?" _the exchange of adapted orders was then thrown out with the lack of issei

"_That was reckless" _added Koneko most likely addressing his field test

Shifting in his place on the wall issei chuckled back at her "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" he didn't receive a reply

**[She's right you know... we had no idea what that point on its back did** **until you did that] **added Ddraig in a scolding tone

"Well now we do" he answered before he pressed a finger to his ear

"Buchou" called out issei, a second later and she replied _"yes, what is it?"_

"That point on its shoulder blade absorbs energy sources to power its sacred gear" he advised, from her spot in the sky Rias' previously serious expression shifted to interest

"Oh? How so?" she asked as she moved to see the beasts back and sure enough there was a turbine/absorption point on its left shoulder blade

"_When it was charging its cannon the point on its back lit up along with its cannon, and when I tried to see if shooting it would destroy it all it did was absorb my attack... I'm sure you can exploit that for a weakness" _as issei explained his findings Rias eyed the absorption point intently

"Thanks for the heads up Ise, we'll find a way" she said in thanks

"_I'm sure you will" _

Nodding at his words Rias jumped started her brain to run multiple scenarios on how to counter act absorbing type ability

'_In any case, if a being can absorb an energy source or multiple energy sources then hitting it with magic is pointless, however, if they do have that power then there is always a limit to how much they can absorb before bursting' _the mental memory of her mother teaching her magic types replayed through her head as she imagined a balloon being filled with water, a limit was reached and it burst

When she remembered that lesson Rias snapped her head up, a metaphorical light bulb lit up above her head before she reprocessed the lesson to the present... if she wished to exploit it then she needed to test it

Flying down from her spot in the sky Rias flew close to the demon all the while yelling 'covering fire', it was a self explanatory order; force the creature to defend so she could swoop in closely

When she reached the demon's back she charged a ball of destruction in her hand, when it was at a moderate level she shot it into the absorption point, only to see the ball of energy be absorbed into the disc shaped point, however, instead of absorbing and storing the energy the demon quickly growled in what seemed like pain before it suddenly pointed its cannon towards Akeno, a moment later and it fired a red and black ball of energy, it was small and carried the same amount of power that Rias charged up so dodging it was easy for the flying queen

The Gears in her head turned at high speed and in a matter of seconds Rias smiled at her discovery before she retreated to relay her new plan

"Koneko, Kiba, distract it for me, please" ordered Rias as she approached her second in command, the two aforementioned individuals nodded before they engaged the demon

"What was that attack just now?" questioned the raven haired girl

Rias simply smiled "a test... I needed to clarify Ise's discovery for myself" she replied while Akeno became interested

"What did you find?"

"An exploit... prepare to use that rail gun of yours Akeno, we'll need the fire power" before Rias left Akeno interjected quickly

"But Rias... a high density shot like that will cripple the barrier" she added in confused at her superiors orders

All Rias did was shrug before answering calmly "Trust me... after this attack we won't need the barrier" before she could hear out Akeno's confusion she left to assist with the others, she'd inform them of her plan as well

'_this'll need to work in one shot, Asia is preoccupied with Ise and if this doesn't work then Akeno will be out of action as well, no... It'll work, stay focused' _Rias' inner thoughts were dropped when she swooped in behind her last two servants

"I have a plan" she said as they watched the beats collect itself, Koneko and lambasted it in the gut while Kiba tripped it with his swords, a good combo if Rias said so herself

Glancing to his master Kiba raised a brow "fire away buchou, I'm all ears"

"Kiba, I'm gonna need a detonation crystal" she said before a crystal of moderate pink completion was tossed in her direction, catching it and nodding she continued on

"When Ise attack that creature from behind he spotted a single point on its back, directly over its left shoulder blade... have you seen it?" two nods and she pressed on

"I investigated what caused that attack that took Ise out and found a conclusion, the point on its shoulder blade is a high speed absorption point, when it chooses to fire it absorbs organic matter to fuel its shot at high speed"

Kiba piped in "so it's not absorbing energy right now then but rather absorbs it when it's charging a shot" Rias nodded at his understanding

"Exactly, and when I tested it myself I found that foreign energy signatures forces it to fire, lest it overcharge the cannon... case in point, I found an exploit" she finished before Koneko raised her fist

"Heads up" she said before they all fanned out from a cannon shot

**BOOOM!**

"Kiba, I'm gonna need you and Koneko to bring that thing down and expose its back! And if you can, slam one for your swords into its absorption point! I could use a catalyst"

Kiba's eye brow raised high up when heard those orders, the 'bring it down' part was easy but the catalyst part... Kiba ceased his confusion when he spotted a yellow light build up over his head; close inspection revealed it was Akeno

A smile graced his lips "one catalyst, coming right up!" he yelled before Koneko and him got to work

Flying over to a vantage point Rias landed on a roof top for observation, the pink crystal in hand. Placing her finger over her ear Rias opened a channel

"Akeno, when you see its exposed back, aim for the spot with the sword sticking out... but wait for my go ahead to fire first"

"_I hear you, I'm primed and ready to fire on your order" _Akeno's responding voice reverberated in her ear, nodding instinctively Rias got ready for her role as well

She never played western football nor did she plan to but right now she was planning one hell of a touch down

From her spot on the roof Rias watched as Kiba and Koneko fight with precise coherency and expert teamwork, Koneko created rough openings and brought brutal hits to knock the demon off balance while Kiba cut surgical slashes along key points, like the muscle behind the knee and Achilles tendons, they were trying to force a literal tree of a creature to fall forward and by the progress they made perfect attempts however the demon seemed perfectly satisfied in standing up and seemed even more determined to _not _fall forward

Almost like it knew its weakness was discovered

'_We need an extra man down there, Kiba and Koneko are good but they can't drop a creature that big and resilient alone' _as Rias' inner thoughts pressed on the growing difficulty she immediately remembered all her role was

She had extra magic to help

Standing from her readied position Rias placed the pink crystal in her left hand before she coiled black and red destruction in her other hand, first she needed a perfect opening to its back to knock it down then she needed to hustle after her strike

Before she fired her attack she felt a strange aura within her right hand rise up, forcing her to look at her hand

Nothing was wrong

The familiar black and red snake like magic was coiling around her hand like normal expect for some reason she felt a darker aura, however it disappeared just as fast as it rose

Blinking in confusion Rias quickly Shook her head of the odd feeling and recollected herself

By pure luck Rias spotted a perfect opening and even more, the creature had just recently taken a powerful strike to its up back forcing it forward, without hesitating Rias fired her destruction

However it felt and _looked_ much different

"What!?" she yelled when the previously charged shot now fired in a sudden pulse like shot, usually she fired spheres but this was like a gauss cannon, small charge time followed by a sudden. Powerful. Impact

**BANG!**

**ROAAARR!**

In response to her sudden shot of destruction the creature released a pained roar before it fell forward, red and black magic danced around its back like an after cloud of damage

For a moment Rias remained silent and frozen

She had never trained to fire a her destruction in propulsion style nor even think it was possible but it seemed close to a rail gun to Akeno except it didn't have the queens destructive force, however for some reason deep down Rias felt as if that was capable of much more then what she wanted

Seeing as how her opening was primed and ready Rias charged in all the while shaking her confusion and shock away

Kiba had not expected a third party to assist on their endeavor but he didn't really care at this point, he was growing tired by the constant moving and recreating swords, even the sudden and unexpected shot of energy didn't cause him to faultier, and instead of staring at the incredibly damaged demon in wonder at who did that he instead did what was expected of him

Running to the other side of the demon Kiba jumped high before landing on the demons back and with quick expert precision Kiba stabbed his newly created sword into the absorption point, and luckily it didn't get immediately absorbed, he guessed it could only absorb liquid and gas type elements, not solid ones

Lucky for them

**ROAR!**

In a pained response to being stabbed the demon released a deep roar of pain, and Kiba wasted no time in staying put to see if he could play rodeo

Jumping to safety Kiba ran and grabbed Koneko before he gunned it to a safe distance

With her knights job done Rias raced to the back point of the demon and when she came in range she dropped the now charged detonation crystal into the now clogged absorption point

With the crystal in the hole Rias flew away before she said a single word

"Fire"

With a single word the whole shopping district was erupted into chaos, from the vary sky raced a pillar of pale yellow lightning moving at such a high speed multiple velocity rings were created by the fast moving beam of pure energy and then hell reigned

**VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVT!**

Just like in the rating game a blinding light covered the shopping district while a barely audible roar could be heard over the loud scream of thunder and just as fast as it came did the yellow pillar vanish leaving a crater in its wake

Amidst the dust and debris Rias and her fellow peerage members fanned dust and smoke away while they dug themselves out of the store they had dived into for safety, due to rushed circumstances Akeno had zero time to wait for her superior and allies to reach a true safe distance and had no choice but to fire on command

"_Is everybody alright?" _Came the worried and tired voice of Akeno

"I'm good" announced Kiba as he emerged from behind the desk counter of the convenience store, Koneko following in toe

"We're alright Akeno, good work" replied Rias as she walked out of the bathroom she had flown into

"_*sigh* that's good to hear... what's the status of the stray?" _

"I'm verifying that right now, hold on" after she replied Rias looked to her Kiba and Koneko "wait here, I won't be long"

Kiba looked apprehensive but nodded in a trustful understanding

Without wasting time Rias ducked out of the dilapidated door way and out into what could be described as a nuclear fallout, from just a small amount of effort and Rias could feel the left over devil energy wafting in the air like a powerful cloud, the crater wasn't deep but its radios was impressive

Akeno really does have a destructive size

'_I wonder how powerful this would be if she was actually mad' _muttered Rias internally before she smirked at that prospect

She'd rather pass of that

After a good minute of walking and Rias found herself close to the epicenter, the ground was becoming wetter by her progress and drainage pipes as well as power lines were now visible from how deep the blast actually reached when close to the initial strike point, a few more minutes and Rias found what she was looking for

It lay in the puddle of muddy water, sprawled out like a wet rag and exerting zero demonic energy, its left arm was long gone and smoke rolled off its left side were its metal arm used to be calmly, trickles of blood leaked into the muddy water below it from its left shoulder and its eyes – or what was left of them – were wide open

When one is given an extremely high dose of electricity the energy builds up like a water balloon and when the limit is reached sometimes the victim bursts into a gory mess, but that's only if the physical make up was weak, like a devil or a human, however this thing was far beyond the physical limits of a normal devil so instead of exploding the large dose of electricity had no choice but to exit the body via any weak spot

Namely, its eyes and mouth

Any further explanation would sicken Rias even more then what she was looking at

Its eyes had liquidated at high speed as well as its internal organs, she could be curtain its heart and brain was in that list of internal casualties

In any case, the demon was dead... no need to dwell on it

Keeping her eyes on the downed monster Rias reported in

"Confirmed kill Akeno... we're done here"

**-XxXxXxX-**

**With Isaac and co. on route to kouh city**

An hour after boarding the train and we found ourselves inside what I'd call 'the hornets' nest', war is literally on the horizon and any agitation would send this nest spiralling out of control so the characterization I had so quickly made up was perfect for the scenario

During our trip to the city we all fell into our own conversations, Xenovia and Irina hit it off for a while, while me and Dulio would converse, I tried my best to make sure the conversation didn't fall on food since Dulio had a knack for disappearing whenever it's mention and as far as I could tell my efforts paid off

Pretty soon everything became serious, with our black cloaks switched out prior to our arrival to the city we all – minus Dulio – wore large white cloaks instead, for some odd reason Irina said that people in white cloaks give off a friendly vibe

I had wanted to mention their holy sword aura but they seemed uninterested in listening to that, even if I did mention it four to maybe five times

"Oh, the memories I had here" gushed Irina as she over dramatically breathed in the stale urban air

"You lived here for how long?" Dulio asked as he fixed his priest collar

"I lived here until I was... 10, seven years... Hard to believe it's been so long"

Now that she does mention it... it is hard to believe

Like I said before, I didn't get to meet the two of them until they were 14 years old, so basically for 4 years I was kept away from them until finally all of that was thrown out the window when Xenovia happened upon me during the time she called Griselda a 'grey haired ghoul'

That was _7 _years ago, Jesus time flies

"Not much has changed... Isaac, how old was this Rias girl?" Irina asked suddenly cutting right to business

"18 years probably, from what I remember she wore a school uniform when I met her" I answered and she nodded

"Then I guess we're off to kouh academy"

"lead the way" I said simply before she smiled and joyfully walked in the direction I suspected the school to be, I didn't look into it when I was here before so I had no idea

I could always jump or fly up and I'd see it but limitations Isaac, limitations

For about a minute we walked, all the while gaining idle stares from the public due to our rather odd attire however after passing by a few colorful people, IE: Cos-players, all the stares ceased and we became one with the people soon after

From where I was I could make out a rather luxurious academy a few blocks from where we we're, it looked white and navy blue and oddly foreign in appearance for a Japanese city but the thought of two highly rich devils living here I guess one of them was the cause of its exotic appearance... maybe both?

As we crossed over the pedestrian bridge I suddenly felt out a devilish presents behind me, I had yet to feel anything ahead of me which confused me, I wasn't completely in the dark on how school hours operated and by the looks of things I'd say the school day was mid way

By the reactions on the others, two being uncaring while the other was serious, yet slightly relaxed told me the others had also felt out the presents

"Two devils approaching, rear flank" reported Xenovia robotically

"Stay calm..." I said soothingly before I glanced over to Dulio who smirked before he completely vanished from my senses

Dulio was exceptional at escaping tight spots and almost unavoidable situations with his magic concealment abilities as well as masking abilities his sacred gear possessed... how else do you think he manages to escape us in search of food?

Xenovia and Irina both felt the presence of Dulio vanish but before they reacted poorly I simply placed a hand on their shoulders "he's fine... it's for safety purposes"

Dulio is an SSS class exorcist along with myself but the difference between the two of us is that he cares little about reputation and those who see his physical identity while I do, I've made it my goal to keep my physical features concealed to lessen the chance of supernatural attention, if they saw my face the effect would be controlled, however if Dulio was seen... then that's a different story

From on the other side of the bridge I made out two distinct figures, the first was the easiest, long black hair reached own to her thighs and seemed almost perfectly cut at the end, blue rimmed glasses sat on her eyes while two heterochromic eyes, one blue another hazel, stared at us fiercely

Then comes the second person, female like the other, except she had short hair cut just before the hair meets the neck, red rimmed glasses sat over her narrowed and purple eyes, each of them wore a school uniform

Out of the two of them the one with the short hair radiated the most devilish energy which led me to believe she was Sona Sitri, I could tell that not just by the energy level but by the way she carried himself, brisk and disciplined almost like the way the Gremory devil did

"Try to keep calm you two" I advised before I stepped toward the approaching duo

Once they came into a breathable range they held their distance, both of their eyes were locked on the massive sword Xenovia had concealed on her back

"Do I need to ask why three church followers are currently standing within _my _school grounds?" she asked threateningly, testy off the bat I see... I think I'll keep the snarky reply to myself

"I'm afraid that line of conversation would be best kept from prying eyes" I replied all the while pointing at the gathering crowd of on lookers, be it students with nothing better to do or pedestrians on their way to where ever they needed to go

The short haired devil narrowed her eyes at my obvious relaxed tone before she simply sighed and –with extreme caution – walked past us and an unnoticed Dulio before she gestured for the three (four) of us to follow her

In stiff silence we all followed the devil duo into the school before we rounded a few corners, rose a few flights of stairs and entered what I saw to be as the 'student council' room... ooh, for a young devil she sure likes to put the stress on early

When we entered the _extremely _dim room I suddenly found myself missing Arndell's sun lit rooms more and more... this some occult stuff right here

Like seriously, no lights were seen, only candles

From inside the room I made out zero occupants minus the six of us which made things even easier, after about a minute the two finally fell serious, the one I believed to be Sona fell down into her office chair while the obvious queen stood to her left

"What is it?" she asked seriously, Sona was the one

"Right down to it huh?" I replied to which she narrowed her eyes within seconds of my wording

"Two holy sword wielders and a possibly hyper lethal exorcist walk into my territory... I'm sure you can understand the seriousness" she reasoned

I scratched my head aimlessly, the hood I was wearing was keeping my platinum hair from view but it itched now and then "I guess I can attest to that... we want a council with you and the other devil leader in this territory, her name is Rias Gremory I presume?" I asked, expression remaining calm

The Sitri girl's eyes widened slightly before she recollected herself "why?" she asked

"Find her and inform her of this meeting and you'll find out" I revealed cryptically, the two's eyes narrowed but I simply smiled at then politely "Pardon the tone... the stress is piling up" I said in between a sigh

"Where do you want this meeting to take place?" she said, I guess my nonexistent killing intent was good enough to let us actually have a meeting instead of just being kicked out, the other two beside me had remained by the door and calm whilst I stood in the middle of the room

"On earth preferably..." I started all the while getting a few shifts in response "and in this school, any location you feel is the most secluded and safe from prying eyes and eavesdroppers will do just fine"

With a begrudging nod she answered "we'll meet in the Occult research club room... just outside campus and to your left is an abandon school building, you can't miss it" she said causing me to nod

"And what'll be a good time for us to hold this meeting?" I asked

"Tomorrow sound good? Rias and her peerage have school and personal duties to attend to... I'd say 1 o' clock tomorrow will be best" she revealed making my brow raise slightly

"Personal duties?" I asked more to myself then anything however it appeared the devil before me guessed it was an actual question

"Does that really concern you?" she replied hotly, I had to place my hand out and lower it in a 'calm down' gesture when Xenovia exhibited high amounts of holy energy

"No, it doesn't" I replied shortly after all the while showing no care at all to her previous attitude

"Then I think we can dismiss this meeting" she said hinting me to 'get the hell out', smirking calmly I reached into my cloak pocket and tossed a black object onto her desk before I started to walk out

"What is this?" she asked causing me to stop in my tracks

Without looking back I answered "I believe they call it a 'Snickers bar', I bought it on the train ride in for myself later but, seeing as how you need an attitude fixing more than myself, well I'll give it to you... do enjoy it" with that I left all the while closing the door

"_Hehehe" _giggled Dulio from behind me, his masking ability was distorting his actually sound to high frequencies but me being me I heard it clearly

Before we faced any sort of wrath from the now humiliated devil we cheesed it before it registered, Irina was giggling while Xenovia had a content smirk on her face

That was going down in the history books of 'stupid things I've done for kicks'

Now I guess we pass time until tomorrow, the lack of a second significant devil signature from before suggested to me that perhaps the Gremory heir wasn't 'top side' but rather down below with family matters, it was good actually, her lack of a presents drops our responsibilities significantly

I didn't feel good in leaving important matters such as this for a later date when we were already here, but since the girl wasn't on earth eased my anxiety a good bit

It could wait for tomorrow

**-XxXxXxX-**

We were back on the street a few minutes later, from the time it looked to be about late afternoon to maybe evening

'_hmm, don't remember the day going by so fast" _I muttered to myself

"What time did we leave the hotel back in Kyoto?" I asked suddenly, Dulio had long since deactivated his masking ability so he answer

"I think it was around... 12:30? I don't really remember myself but I guessed it was around that time, all the fast food joints there seemed to have their normal menus on instead of the breakfast ones"

"It was 1 o' clock when we left" corrected Xenovia stoically

"And now it's 4:45" added Irina who looked like she was thinking about something

"Safe to say this day is a wipe" I said with a shrug, the only thing we did was meet a snarky and serious devil – one that we're to protect – and humiliate said snarky and serious devil... in good taste (no pun intended)

Not that all important then the meeting were going to have tomorrow, the waiting game sucks

"I guess so, all we did was get a time and meet spot for our objective... nothing to expansive" muttered Xenovia calmly

"Say, what did you use as a base of operations?" Dulio asked suddenly

My answer was to point at the hotel we were currently walking to; it was a few blocks away probably outside the residential area and stood about thirty stories high "I rented the pent house for space and workout room back when I was here, why?"

With a single yawn I got my answer

"Lazy..." I muttered much to his entertainment

"Hey, I stayed up a few minutes longer talking to that fox girl of yours so cut me some slack" he said pleadingly

"Tsk... alright, I guess we can at least get us a roof to sleep under" I relented, Dulio simply put his hands together and mock prayed at me in thanks while the other two were off conversing

"Let's go you two" I called out to them

"Wait, I have someone I want to introduce you to" replied Irina in a quick manner, I simply sighed

"Can it wait until after we grab a hotel room to stay the night? I'd rather Dulio remain in the dark until tomorrow's meeting. In fact he's our trump card for tomorrow if things go south... I'll go with you when were done, ok?" I promised

Irina pouted slightly but then relented and nodded

Smiling at her in gratitude I turned and started towards the hotel of interest, this boy Irina was so energetic about must've been a really good friend to her, her actions are like an overly eccentric child trying to show her parents a brand new friend they met

Hehehe, as childish as she is its rather refreshing to have around, bleak and serious is the norm in church operations and I was sure that If I was alone on this OP then I'd probably be sitting on my ass in the hotel polishing my sword all the while thinking of my next move

Ugh! I wasn't that serious... or am I?

Whatever the case, I was more open to joint Ops then solo ones, silence is nice but the odd conversation didn't annoy me either... just the loud ones I can't stand

For basically 10 minutes the four of us simply conversed, I was silent in my own thoughts, Dulio looked to be close to sleep – I don't know where his energy goes – and the other two just piped in small talk now and then until finally we arrived at the lobby of the hotel

It took a moment but very quickly I was the possessor of the pent house suite again

"Ok Irina, lead the way" I said while I dropped the keys in Dulio's hands, I even piped in that he could call room service if he felt like indulging in it... he looked extremely grateful

"This way, it's just a few blocks from where we were" she said enthusiastically before the three of us began to leave the hotel

I had wondered why Dulio didn't want to meet this friend of Irina's but then I remembered them talk about that during our walk to the hotel, I think he said he wished he could but his 'boss' was more worried about him standing out than anything else

Whatever the case I was just glad they'd actually talked about it then not at all, they had literally just met the SSS class exorcist and I did feel a little tad bit of nervousness before we left the Vatican but it all vaporized during the plane ride to Kyoto

Team cohesion was essential for this and their quick bonding during said plane ride was a god send, last thing I wanted was for the two to feel inadequate around him and unbearably nervous to communicate but that worry was all for the history books

I had forgotten to take in to account Dulio's surprisingly good perception and charisma; he had known of their nervousness right off the bat and acted down to their level to grind out the awkwardness with expert ease

That was a load off my back

As my thoughts progressed I had been unaware of the house we arrived at but the kind and friendly female voice of an older lady brought me back to reality

"And you must be?" she asked with a kind smile

"Uh... Isaac, I'm a friend of Irina's" I replied, slightly out of it, I was starting to lose track of time, that was _quick_, we must've taken a few short cuts to get here

"You've sure made a few friends over the years" said the women as she gestured us to come in, Irina nodding enthusiastically in response to her comment

Before we actually did however the women quickly adopted a troubled expression before she turned to me with an apologetic expression "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't give you my name"

Before I could shake my head and dismiss the coming apology she acted quicker "My names Azumi hyoudou, but you can call me Ms. Hyoudou if you like" she said to which I then shifted from a dismissive expression to a kind and smiling one before I bowed my head slightly

"Ms. Hyoudou's fine" I said before she placed a hand on her cheek and eyed me closely

"So kind" she muttered causing me to blink at her openness

"Uh... thanks" I said slightly off beat, usually I was fine around extremely kind people and their overuse in compliments but something about this women felt off slightly

Then a thought of a mountain cat came flying past my mind, good thing the kind lady was looking away from me because a moment after I thought of the cougar I cringed at its secondary meaning to older women

When I said people were known to openly acknowledge my features I damn well meant it, and she seemed more in control then the younger flock

Aside from the odd development Ms. Hyoudou showed us to the guest living room and offered us tea, both Irina and I accepted but Xenovia politely declined

As Irina and Xenovia took their seats on the small couch I sat down in the lazy boy chair before the polite women of the house returned with a tray of tea... fastest tea I've seen get made

With a kind smile I graciously accepted the cup of tea and a moment later I sipped it... it was pretty good

After she handed out the tea I spotted a photo album under her arm but before she handed that out she checked both me and Irina "Well how's the tea?"

"It's as good as I remember Azumi" answered Irina happily before Ms Hyoudou looked at me expectantly

Smiling I answered evenly "it's as good as Irina makes it out to be" I said as politely as possible

"Good, I'm glad you two like it" she said back before she placed the photo album she had under her arm on the table, soon after and the two fell in a conversation usually fit for long term history

Irina's chemistry with the older women was astonishing to me; I was close to Griselda yes but even then, there were boundaries even I still have yet to fully understand. The way the two before me conversed seemed like they were almost the same age, jokes, stories – some if not all of them were lies mind you – and lastly travels, any topic was as if these two were friends down to mundane topics

With a glance to Xenovia I locked eyes were hers, I shrugged, to which she did the same

"You actually visited the catacombs in London?" asked Ms Hyoudou with an astonished expression

"Yup, I even visited Egypt" added Irina

"Did the mummies get you" Ms. Hyoudou jested causing the two to fall into a laughing fit

I drowned out the conversation when I felt something approach, an odd energy feeling, almost felt dangerous but it vanished as soon as I picked up its location outside

"Mom?" Came a confused yet slightly fearful voice down the hall

Wait a minute... that sounded familiar

It seemed the voice didn't register on the other two but I spotted Xenovia's glance towards me and nodded... this feeling felt like devils energy for sure, it subsided outside but it rose back up again suddenly when the voice resounded

Not a minute later and the mystery individual stepping into view, brown hair, brown eyes, lazy urban attire and a physically hardened figure... something I didn't fully register because of my complete shock at who it was I was looking at

Issei Hyoudou...

Due to my shock at realizing who the person was I remained frozen and silent while the others seemed unaware of my mood change, Irina's eyes closed and her lips rose in a cute smile before she addressed the notorious omnipresent god of kouh city, however before she could The boy's mother – that which I did not notice until now! – addressed him before Irina could

"Oh you're back from your trip issei? Well anyways you have visitors"

I noticed a protective shift in the boys positioning from near the door, his eyes were locked on the two at the couch but since I was far off to his right he didn't notice me yet, however I did notice his acts of contingencies, like how he kept _Asia_ clear from view and also how his muscles tensed slightly just in case he needed to move in a moment's notice

"It's been awhile huh issei?" questioned Irina causing the boy to shift more of his gaze onto her "Don't tell me you've forgotten me, it's me, Irina Shido"

The boy remained silent and almost confused but it stopped when his mother placed a picture from the photo album in his view to which his earlier confusion fell "Now I remember you, Seven years right?"

His voice... sounded deep and low as if he was fighting for communication skills, with my perception on the matter I guessed this boy was the close friend Irina was so fond of and by his tone suggested he too was fully aware of the mix his previous friendship was in, he was a devil while his friend was an exorcist

"Indeed, it's been a long time so we definitely need to catch up" replied Irina, I felt her previous energy downsize, she knew as well "And by the way, I love reunions, you have no idea what to expect" her flamboyant tone and expression however didn't falter as seen by her smile

"Issei, it's rude to ignore your other guests" Issei's mom chastised which caused him to break his gaze on Irina and relocate his gaze on Xenovia

"This young lady here is one of Irina's friends from the church, her names Xenovia" Ms. Hyoudou then went silent

Taking the mantle Xenovia dismissed her narrowed eyes, closed them and nodded to him "It's nice to meet you Issei hyoudou" she said with her usual deep tone, Issei nodded in a similar way a rusty mechanism would, before anything else was done Ms. Hyoudou piped in

"Irina even brought a friend she wanted to introduce you to" she said happily not even slightly aware of the tense atmosphere, in response to her words Irina smiled before she jumped up and grabbed Issei's hand officially catching him off guard "I've been meaning to introduce you to him for a while now, I feel you two would be great friends!" she said before she pointed at me "This is Isaac, he's a long time friend of mine from the church"

At her words Issei's eyes finally met mine, my shock had subsided a bit ago but I still had my expression held into a surprised manner, however Issei's expression went from narrowed and prepared to shocked and completely leveled

"You..." he muttered out causing Irina to adopt a slightly shocked expression

"Nice to see you again, hyoudou" I replied calmly, the two of us stared at each other for a moment while all Irina did was glance back at forth at us before she muttered a single confused word

"Eh?"

**A/N: Alright boys/girls 10****th**** chapter is out and my look at that progress **

**Seems by this point the canon is becoming more and more forgotten the more we close in on season 2 and its wonderful fun **

**Since I updated a chapter – a long ass issei only chapter – I decided to update on more of Isaac's side**

***ducks from a slew of tomato's* YEAH I KNOW!**

**Issei and com. were in this one because it felt better then what I previously wrote**

**Big news, this chapter was done weeks ago, however after a good once over I dropped in motivation when I found out all that effort was for a lack luster chapter with the dreadful pacing of a horrible porno**

**So after a considerable amount of tears and painful and agonizing hours I deleted a good 20 paragraphs and replaced them instead fifty or less about issei and the endeavors of their events before Isaac even arrived to Japan**

**Malthus isn't Ganondorf**

**He isn't the type of villain that waits for the protagonists to get their shit together just so he can glare angrily at them up on the dramatic 'final showdown' tower**

**No, by all things holy/demonic my villain is a few steps ahead of Isaac and his company and simply rushing through this chapter only following Isaac seems and **_**felt **_**rushed and severely lacking plot wise**

**Not to mention if I go all the way with Isaac and ignore the hints with Malthus I'd have a M. Night, shamalamadingdong effect IE. Twist after twist after twist **

**Trust me, I wrote the chapter, took a day then read it over and bloody hell I nearly caked my pants with how mediocre it felt**

**So with serious consideration, I deleted the mediocre parts and rewrote the less mediocre parts then added in a part so we can get a bead on what's the 10'4 with Rias after the rating game and its events as well as see Malthus converse with a canon character**

**And like always... I never give 'em a break, heh!**

**So things are stirring up, Malthus was a hairs breathe away from killing Rias and Rias was a hairs breath away from one of my all time anime wishes while at the same time we get a glimpse of a possible twist on her part, via powers**

**A much need buff I do say so myself... further details on that will be answered close around maybe the rating game against Sairaorg... **_**if **_**there is a rating game for that matter**

**Now on to Isaac... nope nothing really worth knowing**

**Oh wait Yasaka is one**

**So Isaac boyo has a history with the fox and that's that... yes she is in the harem, and due to her already knowing Isaac it's pretty much saying I have a lack of creating an introduction and build up for their relationship**

**Sew me, I had planned for only Rosswiesse and Gabriel being in the harem but I feared id get flamed for making a DxD story without at least five girls in a harem**

**So here ya go, Yasaka is in and already primed for the taking... less work for me**

**On a side note I want to point something out vaguely,**

**The create the Gremory's faced is a direct reference to a curtain creature from a curtain game that holds the title of 'the grandfather of FPS's'... RIP AND TEAR! **

**Now on to why this had taken so long... fallout 4**

**Nuff said**

**Goodnight**

**And in the mean time I gonna drink myself to death after reading that comment about my apparent perversity... PEACE!**


	11. The Hunt Begins: Part 6

"_United we stand... Divided we fall." _

_ ~George pope Morris_

**-XxXxXxX-**

"You..." muttered the surprised teen as his eyes remained locked on mine

Smirking calmly and remaining in my seat I waved my hand at the frozen Issei Hyoudou "Nice to see you again, Hyoudou"

Aside from my initial shock, I was, by this point, accepting who I was now conversing with, but from the others perspective I was the only one fully adjusted to the twist of fate... Xenovia was her usual stoic shocked while Irina seemed to find wording her confusion the best response

"Eh?" never said it was an intelligent response did I?

Then again this is one of those '1 in a million' moments, I'd expect a similar response from myself if this happened to me

"Wha-what are you doing here?" he asked

Just by reading him I could register apprehension and fear, apprehension was alright of an emotion but the fear part confused me, it wasn't visible to the others but I did sense fear in his emotions

Raising both my brows at his question I simply shrugged and pointed to Irina "we had some time to kill while we were here so my junior wanted to introduce me to her childhood friend" dropping my hand I then chuckled lightly "though I'm surprised, how the teen I helped from those bullies back then was actually her friend all along... Small world, right?" when I finished I spotted the recognition in his eyes, a small flash but I guess he spotted my obvious lie about the bullies, if his mom wasn't in the room I would have ignored covering for him but since miss innocence was present I had to take measures, and thankfully he noticed

"Right... small world" before Irina could start up Miss Hyoudou shot in

"Wait! You were being bullied!?" she asked in shock, dare I say I was _extremely_ surprised the mother didn't shoot up and hug the kid because she barely bloody moved to check him, then again, the boy looked to be slightly more 'jacked' then when I first met him, and his eyes looked more sharp then the innocent newbie from before

Something's changed in him... and it's definitely not puberty

"Aye" I started with a foreign accent similar to a Scotsmen "I was here a few weeks back, probably mid way through last month when I came across him and a few of these older men" miss hyoudou looked back at me with a worried and questioning stare to which I waved my hands "nothing came of it really, just a flock of crows picking were they shouldn't" from behind miss hyoudou I spotted a crack of a smile grace his lips... ah-ha! He noticed

At least he noticed, the other two barely budged an inch

"You didn't get into a fight did you?" she asked turning to issei, to which he shook his head dismissively

"No" was all he said, Miss Hyoudou released a sigh at that before she looked at me

"Thank you for helping him" she said before bowing towards me

"No problem" I said in return

"Now then, I have dinner to get started so you four converse without me... you three have time for dinner?" she asked but I smiled sadly

"Unfortunately our schedule here is small and limited, we were lucky to find the time to drop by so we must decline the kind offer" I replied, miss hyoudou looked saddened but never the less kept her smile on before she smiled to Irina and vanished into the other room, once she was gone I quickly erected a sound barrier

And everything became quiet... for a moment

"Devil..." muttered Xenovia quietly, a small and light jab to her ribs from yours truly kept her crusader persona at bay, however, her light tone was heard easily, sometimes one can forget devils have adept hearing

"Yes, I'm glad you're observation skills are on point" replied issei, his voice wasn't as strained as before but now it was low and dangerous

"Easy, Hyoudou... I don't even have my sword on me yet your getting hostile" I said, still remaining in the chair

"You don't, but these two do" he replied before he locked his eyes on Xenovia, IE: the one who swings first and thinks later, very easy to notice since she looked on the verge of murder

"Settle down... _Now"_ I said softly

As if I had an absolute command both Xenovia and issei froze, they didn't seem ready to brawl but any more seconds of inaction and I'd be cleaning up an easily avoided mess

"What- what was that?" muttered issei as he glanced down to his fist, his hands by simple view were shaking and his desire to cause a pointless ruckus was dashed quickly, like glass from a 10 foot drop

"I believe your instincts are the cause for that" I started before I stood up, without batting an eye I placed my hand on Xenovia's shoulder soothingly and the petrified expression on her face vanished "I have absolutely zero interest in angering nor fighting my future allies"

"Allies?" Issei asked, confused by my choice of words

"Yes, I'm sure everyone here understands the words definition?" I paused for added effect, nothing in reply, good "well, I'll answer your first question hyoudou" I started before I walked over to him and hovered my hand over his shoulder "the reason why we..." I stopped to point at both myself and the others "... are here is because we have an objective, one that places both myself and my allies on the same scale as you and your allies" when I finished issei simply developed a confused expression but I ignored it

"You may be confused but, in time – that being tomorrow – all of your questions will be answered, until then please keep your knowledge on us being here to you and your friend, we may have allied intentions but there's still room for us to become enemies" I informed calmly before I dropped my hand on his shoulder, and like Xenovia, Issei's shaken expression dropped all together

"Isaac, why are you explaining this to him... he's not involved is he?" question Irina, she had been quite for a good period.

Dropping my hand from the kids shoulder I simply smirked

"This is Gremory's 8 piece pawn and current wielder of the boosted gear, this generation's Sekiryuutei" I informed, Xenovia looked surprised while Irina looked the most shock

Pretty much a rinse and repeat from all the 'reactions' we have...

"You knew?" muttered issei

"I knew the minute you took down that fallen angel, power like that doesn't show itself on a whim and it _definitely not _a twice critical... its true power must've been unlocked while you were tussling with Raynare"

"Please don't mention that name" raising a brow at his defensive tone I sighed and continued

I'm surprised I even remembered that fallen's name

"Well, we'll take our leave now then" in a matter of seconds issei didn't even let me step past him before eyeing me angrily

"You really think I'm gonna lie to my master so easily? I have more loyalty for her then I do for you, so why do you think I'll listen" he said with anger

It's still amazes me how a few words can spark almost violent behavior in humans, especially the more willing

My thoughts drift on that thought as I held Xenovia's advance back with my right arm, an annoyed and disinterested expression on my tired face

Seeing as how I had been holding her back Xenovia quickly dropped her advance, why she continues to draw a fight when I made it clear I didn't want one begs a question I have no interest in finding

Rolling my shoulder I directed my annoyed expression towards issei whom actually looked a little Apprehensive, sighing for the umpteenth time today I dismissed my annoyance and explained myself

"This is not a matter of loyalty Hyoudou; it's a matter of who knows what and who doesn't... and I'm sure you can guess where we fall in that" I paused to see if I'd get a stupid retort but the kid seemed wise to refrain from doing so "now that you understand yours and our own position then it'd be wise of you to listen to the people who KNOWS what's coming and right now those people demand that you keep our whereabouts to. Your. Self" my words were much more forceful then usual but I had no choice

When dealing with people who don't see the bigger picture, its best to make them see it then tip toe around the subject lest they fall to it

"Can I ask why?" oh god, he didn't pick up the hint? Fine, I'll simplify things but the less he knows the better

"Our superiors have given us clearance on a large scale to ally with the devils in this territory, if we are going to fair well against our common enemy then cohesion between the two parties would benefit us both greatly, however, since the two parties are considered great enemies then I'm sure you can understand how thin a ice we are currently walking on, any ripples and you can forget the added benefit of teamwork, instead of fighting a two way war we'll being fighting a three way war" upon my simplified words issei adopted a understanding expression

"And I'm guessing you're not going to tell me this threat?" he asked calmly

Hold on, I was under the impression that we were the ones bringing the bad news but the kid seemed way to cool headed for someone who just learned they'd be invaded again... something's off

"No, the less you know of the threat the easier it'll be to keep yourself calm for tomorrow... everything will be explained then, understood?" upon my words Issei looked more on my side then before

To him I was a reclusive enigma, not known to him nor known to anyone else besides the two beside me, my strengths were summed up by the only thing physically visual that being my skill with a sword, anything was territory he had not seen yet, to him I was a danger and quickly siding with me was now much harder for him then it was a few weeks ago, and by his previous comment on loyalty to The Gremory heir had me thinking the young lady was making out a good first impression, demanding that much loyalty within a few weeks was admirable

Perhaps working alongside her would be an interesting experience...

After a few seconds Issei sighed "Alright, I think keeping your presents to myself for a few hours wouldn't hurt too much, however this better be worth it" he said calmly

"I wouldn't be keeping secrets if it wasn't hyoudou... your master by this point should be informed of the meeting, see you then" with that done I walked past issei and turned towards the door

However, before I could actually exit the door I glanced back and spotted a timid Asia, leaning against the door frame to the living room, glancing back to the room I noticed Irina conversing with issei for a second before I redirected my gaze onto hers

Smirking calmly at her I lazily saluted the young women, the sudden action helped Asia forget the previous mood, based upon her smile proved to confirm that

At the moment I had no time nor desire to address greetings with her without the others noticing, why I didn't want them to notice would be based on the fact that the both of them fall slightly down the church line of fanatic's, Irina may be kind and at times loving but that's only towards neutral non believers and obviously believers, heretics and 'witches' were on the other side of her list, while Xenovia had a crusader personality, one that held violence as the 'go to' for asserting ones beliefs on others, so saying the three would get along off the get go was far from what would really happen... and I was dreading what they'd say tomorrow about her

That was going to be another round of senior discipline I wasn't looking forward to

Nodding towards the girl I left the house, and thankfully the others did as well without making a fuss over Asia

"See ya tomorrow Ise!" called Irina in her energetic voice, a hand waving

The word awkward couldn't fully describe Hyoudou's expression; he must've expected a more 'serious' mood when meeting his childhood friend, as quick as the reunion was I was positive the boy noticed our large white church robes

I myself was expecting a far more silent mood from Irina, seeing as how Issei hyoudou was the second favorite topic she ever really spoke of rather than her first topic that being her church status, her being this flamboyant was surprising

Rather than say anything all Hyoudou did was wave in a less than enthusiastic manner, one that I kinda understood

'_when you reunite with someone only to find them opposing you in some way, it's hard to find any kind of reaction other than a mute and blank response' _I stopped to analyze my rather poetic thought while the door to Hyoudou's house was closed, leaving the three of us outside

"Well, that was surprising" I muttered quietly, upon wording my side of the past event Xenovia turned to me with a wide expression, rather than narrowed eyes Xenovia actually looked interested in whatever she was going to ask... and I had a feeling I knew what I was

"Isaac, I'd like to ask what exactly happened back there" came her questioning tone, Irina dropped her stare at the Hyoudou's residence and glanced back to Xenovia in confusion "what happened?" she added

Tilting my head I eyed her with equal confusion to Irina's "What do you mean?"

Xenovia's eyes narrowed slightly but she let it go quickly "back when you said those words, I felt a cold sensation wash over the room like a thick blanket, and after I felt fear..." as if the sheer memory was enough Xenovia seemed to become paralyzed like before

Well, it seems I can't lie my way outta this without it being obvious... might as well let 'em have a understanding

Sighing I confessed a small bit of confidential information, not too much, but enough to sate their curiosity "Words of persuasion..." I started, Xenovia and Irina locked their gazes onto mine, curiosity gazes mostly, my response was vague but that's all they'd get for now "you two aren't the only ones with gifts among the church and it so happens that the division you now serve under teaches those gifts"

The two looked convinced on my 'partial' lie; it was true my division taught advanced divine spells to its operatives however what I used was far to advanced to be associated as a mundane spell downgraded for human use

"So there's such a spell that forces fear into the hearts of others" Xenovia uttered before she placed her hand on her chin, a second later and she turned to Irina "Irina, did you feel the spells effects at all?"

The girl smirked before shaking her head "Nope, I did feel a pulse of energy but I didn't feel fear"

This caused Xenovia to adopted an even deeper expression of confusion but she didn't press the issue further, rather... she just held a look of contemplation on her face

Without thinking I snapped my fingers and a white magic circle encompassed our position, if I had actually thought before I acted I may have been more prepared for the sudden yelp from both the two female exorcists

**-XxXxXxX-**

Within the confines of the hotel penthouse a sudden swirl of white energy developed within the center of the living quarters before a white magic circle appeared and out came the three of us, a nanosecond later and the magic circle was gone

The two at my side suddenly widened their eyes at the sudden travel speed before they stumbled into the room, they had begun a walk prior to my activation while I remained stationary, movement before the travel process can have some disorientating effects upon arrival

"What the?" uttered Xenovia, her contemplative expression was gone and now replaced with surprise and even larger confusion, Irina simply stared forward in frozen surprise

"Oops, should have warned you I had a knack for using that..." I muttered in quick succession, the blueberry badass simply glared at me while Irina actually did the same thing... sheesh, note to self... never prank these two. Ever.

"At least warn us your gonna suddenly reveal _another_ specialty of yours" Irina piped in after she picked herself up

"Roger that" I replied jokingly

"Was that another one of those 'division spells' you told us about?" questioned the interrogator Xenovia

"Yes" was my quick answer, I added in a tad bit of dismissive context just to show it was actually mundane... it really wasn't

"You'd have to teach us this sometime in the future... having an edge against whatever we face is always welcome to me"

"And also me!" Irina added energetically, a type of energy that seemed way to... off for what she had just gone through

Forgetting that for a second I replied "I'll give the word to the division's handler when we return, but until that time arrives I suggest equating with the tools you have at present" the two nodded before I continued "now, we have a meeting tomorrow with the devil kings of this territory, I don't want any sidetracks or outbursts" I looked at Xenovia "can I have your word that no matter what the devils say, you will remain on point?" I asked and Xenovia stiffened

"Yes, I'll remain at your side... however if things do become violent?" she said

"Don't worry you pretty little head about that Xenovia, Dulio is there to act as the deterrent, if by some dumb chance things grow way out of proportion then simply revealing him would detour their violent goals... he's far more well known then myself, so his face carries more seriousness then my own"

At my words Irina grew confused "why? I thought your reputation was also well known" she said to which I smirked

"The division I work under disavows all actions and connections to church operations, we are a single unit built as a contingent against both supernatural forces and extreme human forces, we are technically the blanket that covers the existence of the supernatural... in more modern terms we are considered 'black ops'" I revealed before I eyed Irina "the reason Dulio is more well known is mainly because he only works part time within the division, his skills are both requested by my superiors and the superiors in the Vatican"

"So does that mean we don't work for the Vatican anymore?" asked a timid Irina

"Within most cases yes, but others, no" I said causing a conflicted expression to land on both their faces, this caused me to sigh "you may not be truly known In the Vatican but that's only to the operatives of the Vatican IE: the ones on the 'need-to-know' basis, however to the upper echelon we are extremely well acknowledge... just not openly"

Again, they didn't seem to enthused

"Aside from that..." I started just too literally dive away from that conversation, the others seemed aware but I forced the subject to change anyway "I want tomorrow to go off without a hitch, so get your rest now... tomorrows gonna be stressful" the two picked up my finality and relinquished their persistence

But before I let them walk away I remembered I had one last thing to deal with tonight before we head out tomorrow

I had mentioned it before, how the event with issei was more shocking then a normal reunion, Irina's way of coping with mental stress of confusion was to hide behind a comforting exterior, smile, and cope... kinda like the saying 'stay calm and strive on' but it still stood as a form of mental baggage, something I didn't want Irina to be thinking about during our meeting with the devils

"Irina" I called out before she could vanish into her's and Xenovia's room, Xenovia stopped to see what it was but quickly understood what I was most likely doing

"Huh? What is it Isaac?"

I ignored her question and instead placed my hand on her head, confusing her further "W-what's this about?"

"Are you alright?" I asked suddenly which Irina simply looked at me confusedly in response

"Y-yeah, I'm fine" she said, I could make out a small blush by the physical contact

"You can't hide it from me Irina, normally you call me 'senpai' but when you call me by my name it means you're something far from just 'fine" I revealed, I got no answer

For a moment I simply pet the girls head, I had a thing for small amounts of physical contact via hand on head for reasons I just tossed under instinct a father would have in consoling a distressed son or daughter (shut up), however I didn't see Irina as a daughter but a friend... weather she showed it or not I knew full well she wasn't in her 'comfort zone'

For a minute I was silent but I cut the silence a moment later

"You feel conflicted don't you?" I started

"Heheh, you have no idea... it's not every day you learn a close person from your past is now someone totally different" she said with a normal tone, though it sounded somewhat lost

Oh how I missed Griselda right now, her specialty was right before me, consoling those who are lost and confused was always her skill while I swung first and consoled later

"I wouldn't fully say he's different... sure he's a devil but I felt no malicious intent other than that anger but something tells me it wasn't evil hatred but rather protective anger"

"Huh? Protective anger?"

I dropped my hand from her head before I plopped down on the couch and soon to be bed before I continued "think of a wolf and his den... normally wolves avoid humans on sight because they know we're dangerous so they flee, however if we were inside their den, then the 'their more afraid of you then you are of them' saying is forgotten, they'll fight and die to protect their home, even if it's against something they fear"

"Why are you basing issei off of an animal?"

"I'm not basing him after an animal more then I'm basing him after their instincts... wolves have the purist and most understanding instincts than any other animal, and they even relate to human behavior in some ways to, protection being one of them" I explained before I relocked my gaze onto Irina's

"We were in Issei's house –his den – and by his actions and tone we were seen more of a threat then a shock"

"Anyways Irina, your emotions right now is based on simple shock and slight confusion... I'm sure deep down issei is still who you remember him to be, from what we both know... reincarnation Via 'evil piece' is more of a physical transformation then mental, he should still be himself"

Irina looked confused "how so?"

"You noticed his friend right? The blonde girl he was shielding back at his house?" I asked to which she nodded in return "I noticed but I didn't get any complete details, why?"

I scratched my chin before I pressed on, I was treading into rogue territory right now and both Irina and Xenovia can be a tad bit, shall we go with 'fanatical' in their way of handling heretics

They may be betrayers but a lot of them have a reason... some so are not exactly voluntary

"Her name is Asia Argento... The previous holy maiden who served the Vatican a year back before she was... excommunicated" I revealed, Irina's eyes widened

"You mean the witch that was –" she stopped when she undoubtedly spotting my hand clenching dangerously on the couches arm rest

"I believe we have evolved from those... terms" I said lowly, Irina looked extremely unaware of the emotional landmine she had stepped on and quickly acted to defuse it

"Sorry" was all she said before she went silent

I absolutely _hated_ that history in human culture, the fanatical and arrogant mind set of humans astonishes me on how they think they can judge when they have Zero right to... _a lot_ of innocent people died because of those heathens who so called believed children or women were witches... under _assumption_... young and innocent people burned because of their actions

"Senpai?" asked a meek and slightly afraid Irina which shattered me from my deep hated thoughts

"Anyways..." I started so to get back on track "back when I was here I had run into Asia along the way, or rather she ran into Hyoudou. The two hit it off just fine but it wasn't until I learned of the fallen's goals that involved her life being in jeopardy did I start to glue things together... their goal was the removal of her sacred gear 'twilight healing' a gear that heals all sentient life" I explained

Before Irina could pipe in I pressed on to the point "the point I'm reaching for here is this, at some point or rather hyoudou learned of her excommunication from Asia... he didn't like it... it came down to the point that his thoughts believed my presents was the eradication of every rogue and fallen in the city, including Asia"

"What did he do?" Irina asked

"What a good man would always do... protect those who are innocent. Sure Hyoudou's now an official devil but he isn't really a spawn of hell that's every thought and desire is a sin, the only thing registering him as a devil is his physical changes, nothing else"

When I finished Irina nodded before she fell silent again

"Hey" I called catching her attention again "this reunion wasn't exactly what you really wanted right? So how about after the meeting tomorrow you try and have a real conversation with him" I suggested, for a second I saw hope in her eyes before doubt replaced it

"What if things go wrong... what if – *bonk*

The girl was interrupted by a soft bonk to the head courtesy of my karate chop

"Ow... why'd you hit me?" whined Irina with little tear drops built up in the corner of her eyes

I ignored her gripe and pressed onto my point "thoughts like that create negative energy, all the 'what ifs' in the world can't predict the future, all they do is make waiting even more unbearable... so stop worrying and think of the positives" I said causing Irina to stare at me a few seconds and it got uncomfortable

"Irina... your staring" I muttered, in a rather cute manner Irina blushed and looked away quickly all the while muttering a timid 'sorry'

Choosing my actions I quickly got up and pat the girls head "well, I hope you understand now Irina" she could try as hard as she wanted but that extreme blush couldn't be hidden, I'm sure those in space could see it

"Heheh... you're blushing" I pointed out in a chuckle before I poked her shoulder teasingly

All she did was blush even more, ok I better stop before she bursts

I tapped her head gently "you should hit the sack, you've got a reunion to deal with tomorrow remember?" the girl picked up my words and quickly looked up to me, probably surprised that I dropped my teasing, she didn't say a word but I gestured with a jerk of my head for her to skedaddle to her room

And I swear I felt a million years older in doing so

It took a few minutes but Irina was in her room, I noticed the sleeping Xenovia before the door was shut leaving me smiling in satisfaction, she did word her relief but I could tell I did the trick, a little 'peak' and I knew I helped her

Pouring the hot water into the coffee mug I prepared a single cup of tea for myself, I had late night planning to do and some sword cleaning to deal with as well

Can't let the ol blade grow rusty can I?

Oh wait there's a rust mark... damn it

**-2 day before Issei's second major encounter with Isaac Blackburn/ shopping district/ 3 minutes after completing stray devil contract/ 1:20am-**

Due to the level of destruction caused by the stray devil encounter Rias, as well as her whole peerage oversaw all repairs dealt by the stray's rampage, they even double checked for any survivors, human or inhuman, however no survivors were found

"Lady Rias, we've searched the whole shopping district and the districts in proximity and can't confirm any devil signatures in the area" reported a devil lieutenant

"Thank you, please continue with the repairs then" replied the red headed Gremory, the lieutenant nodded before redirecting his men to clean up duty

The reason the small devil platoon was dispatched was mainly a cover up crew sent to erase all supernatural evidence and reconstruct the scene to look completely untouched by their battle, hard in concept but so is explaining magic

In almost an hour, the previously destroyed shopping district was back to its original shape and all of the dead humans were covered with various innocuous stories Rias didn't want to think about

They had died by the hand of an experimental virus – the main and only story Rias could divulge, a simple case of stray devil evolution, nothing truly new

So to speak..

Currently the Gremory peerage were strewn about, Akeno and Rias were handing out small orders while Kiba and Koneko sat by a medical tent that housed two individuals

Issei hyoudou sat on a fold out bench with a few bandages on his stomach and an arm brace holding his left arm up, he hadn't noticed but it was dislocated in the battle, he only noticed when the physician popped it back in... Without his knowledge

The kid rubbed his sore arm muscles at the unpleasant memory while Asia sat across from him, she was ruled out to have suffered minor shock during the fray, the doctor explained to Issei that the conflict was most likely too much for her to handle so she froze

A little relaxing would heal her quickly

It caused a form of relief to fall over him, when he witnessed Malthus raise his sword to Asia he felt... really motivated and even felt himself understand the feeling when he thought on it and soon after issei fell back into a personal silence

The medical tent was silent of its two occupants while the one doctor worked on his own paper work

Kiba and Koneko sat adjacent from each other as they waited outside the medical tent, the two each in their own thought

Aside from the two, most of the devil forces questioned amongst themselves what could have caused the whole team to grow so silent, the Gremory peerage was currently on the top of the most well talked about peerage, how they mustered the power to overcome the mighty Riser Phenex was probably the signal most talked about thing besides their own lives

But here they all sat – minus their master and second in command – perfectly silent and still... shell shocked

What could have caused the 'Phenex crushers' to adopt such depressed expressions?

Their mutual questions were unanswered due to their duties, whatever it was they were probably not cleared to hear it... nor ask for it

Just clean the human district and go home... simple job, no need to complicate it more

With that in mind the few who dwelled on the topic quickly dropped it and carried on with cleaning and remolding

**-XxXxXxX-**

Rias couldn't really find an emotion at the moment; all she could do was go through the motions, direct the cleaning team and inform of possible survivor hot spots – a job proving pointless at the time – all they found was mangled body after mangled body, either crushed by debris or mauled by the demons ghouls

Rias could honestly say if she was a simple foot soldier then the sight of the dead would have caused her to puke by this point but she remained numb, her anger to the demon was enough to keep her head leveled

And directly beside her was Akeno who followed by with supplying added support with magical barrier assistance, she expended it all during the last of the fight but she only just got off her break in duties, so her reveres were refreshed enough, she wouldn't feel like a second in command if she left Rias to deal with this by herself so there she was, adding her share of energy to the massive barrier around the district

From among the medium sized red military tent came a single young devil that jogged at a mild pace towards the red headed devil overseeing the repairs

"Lady Rias you have a private call waiting for you" he said forcing Rias to turn to him in recognition, she knew who it was, nodding to the young man she then turned to Akeno and smiled to her in a almost pained manner, something immediately picked up by her second in command who did the same thing

Walking towards the tent Rias prepared for her obvious debriefing, normally it was the duke who debriefed her but for some reason or another she just knew by gut instinct that her brother was calling on a private channel

When she entered the tent and walked pasted the many stares the young devils gave her she was handed a crystal ball by the commanding officer in the command tent

"The other room is vacant for the debriefing malady" advised the scarred devil officer, nodding towards him Rias walked past the man and entered the empty room before she sensed a sound barrier open up behind her

When she felt ready Rias answered the held call by pulsing her devil energy into the crystal, and quickly the crystal produced a full holographic image of her brother, his noble clothes were gone and instead replaced with casual noble clothing of various cultural backgrounds, his expression was calm but his following tone wasn't... her brother had a skill for that

"Hello Rias, I'm happy to see you're in good health" he said in kind greeting, placing the orb on a table beside her Rias placed it down before she turned back to her brother

"Yes, thank you for your concern brother but I'm fully aware on why you're handling my debriefing, so can we just get on with it?" replied Rias, she didn't feel her brothers tone was good for her current mood, he normally drove her nuts on a constant basis but right now she was fuming and the light tone her brother was using was damn close to nails on the chock board

"Observant as always"

'_It's not hard to notice' _growled Rias internally; her open response however was a blank stare that basically presented impatience and annoyance

"67 confirmed dead and 23 confirmed missing, 20 of which casualties are relatives and family members, that is just an estimate of how many human lives lost to the greed of one uncontrollable stray, forgive me of my rudeness brother but I'm not in the mood for fooling around" Rias didn't want to snap but something in her head just said 'fuck it' maybe now her brother would drop his damn smirk

And in response to her report, it did

"I didn't think it would be that many lost" muttered Sirzechs lowly

"Wait, you weren't informed of this before calling?" added Rias, her tone was less snappy but Sirzechs could tell she really wasn't in the mood

"I was informed of troop deployments to your territory and I was also given information on a stray devil located there, later reports informed me that it was much larger and dangerous than the others... so I confess, I called in worry, the last time we deployed troops to the human realm a civil war was ignited shortly after"

Rias liked his confession but she expected it, so it didn't really affect her to much however her fists clenched at his other words and Sirzechs noticed

"Your angry" he informed seriously

"I could wring a strays throat and not lose a shade in color... I'm far from angry" Sirzechs could see it, his sister was growing at a fast rate but he noticed something odd

Walking towards his sister he placed his hand on his sisters shoulder, he may 'look' holographic but devil magic was far more advanced than human understanding so somewhere down the line of movement and the crystal registered the physical contact and upon contact Rias felt the similar sensation of her brothers hand upon her shoulder and with it followed his monstrous power

She felt herself stiffen when the massive pressure washed over her; it felt like it was scanning her as well as healing her, all her rigid bones and muscles relaxed while Sirzechs did something else

It had been bothering him since the rating game but since then he had noticed small changes in his sister, one of the most influential changes being right now, Rias had said she could kill without changing a shade but unfortunately she didn't have a mirror in front of her to notice her eyes had shifted from her usual teal to blood red

It disturbed Sirzechs that when he made contact with his sister her previous teal eyes went back to red the minute he touched her, testing something the maou Lucifer let go of his sister

And his assumption was correct, when he let go of his sister her eyes went back to normal, giving a go to a second test Lucifer placed his hand back only to see her eyes change back to red

With his testing down Sirzechs stepped back slowly and glanced down to his right hand

"What is it?" asked Rias, she was confused by her brothers actions but for some reason she also felt fear, she had been lying but she forgot about the holograms abilities to completely bring the image and power of an individual without truly bringing them to the location

Had he noticed the demonic energy residue on her? She was sure that after that battle all of them would have a good level of 'demonic radiation'

"Nothing, I just... never mind, we'll talk about that later but in the mean time I want you to continue your duties in the human world, I've already canceled your celebratory party for a later date due to this incident, so there's no need to worry about it while you secure the city" Rias was confused by her brothers response, she was absolutely certain her brother would have picked up the demonic residue but that reaction wasn't fitting for a 'siscon' Satan

She was expecting to be hustled to a decontamination ceremony but so far she was standing idle in confusion, but her confusion sprouted into words after her brother's final words

"Secure the city? Why? All devil energy signatures in the city are mine, my peerage and Sona's, there's no threat in the city that we haven't dealt with yet" she said in confusion

"Think of it as an immunization sweep, I was informed of the small 'ghouls' you encountered along with the strangely mutated stray, and most of the reports suggest a hive mind connection between the two was most viable, who knows if the stray was able to abort a handful of ghouls into the city to start a second outbreak, I won't be satisfied until every square inch of Kouh city is clean, understood?" commanded Sirzechs seriously

For a second Rias considered his words and thought of the many truths his words carried, hive minds and ghouls was a common thing some Youkai monsters used when they didn't have a pack of their own kind to order around, and fail safes usually followed the retreat order to some of its ghouls... as much as she doubted the enraged beast had the brains to think of that when it had a lightning bolt drill itself into its skull she also believed it had done it long before their battle with it commenced

However she had to remember all that was, was a simple test of that demons

And by the sound of his words, _he _was the one to mutate the stray, meaning creating ghouls was probably child's play for him, if he wanted to then all of kouh would've been consumed in a almost fictitious apocalypse by now

And by whatever reason, it wasn't... still didn't mean it wasn't a possibility

"I understand brother, once we erase our involvement here, me and my peerage will commence a sweep of the city starting tomorrow morning" replied Rias after a moment, however, instead of smiling Sirzechs simply shook his head

"As much as I like you cooperating I would also like Sona's involvement with the hunt, more bodies more ground covered, I've already spoken to her sister on the matter first hand and she agreed... under heavy worry mind you" once he finished the subject changed

"Anyways, what is the condition of the stray devil?" asked Sirzechs who sent Rias for a loop

"Uh?... it's dead, what other condition does it have after that?" Rias asked sarcastically but her brother simply kept a thousand yard stare directed onto her hinting the reply wasn't substantial

"Its condition on the outside is considerably intact – minus the third degree burns on its upper torso – it's fine, however its internal organs have all ruptured if not completely liquidized, including its brain and heart" reported Rias with heavy suspicion

"What about its bone structure? Is that still intact?"

"Y-yes, it suffered only lacerations and heavy burns but its bone structure was almost impenetrable with heavy trauma, not even issei could break its bones" with every pressing question Rias grew more and more confused

"Brother, pardon my asking but –"

"A division working under Ajuka Beelzebub wishes its corpse to be confiscated to him for further study, sorry for the sudden questions but my guests time was growing thin so I needed the answers to supply him with information on what equipment to prepare" interrupted Sirzechs

"Study? Why? I thought stray devil evolution was all documented by now, so why study what you already know?" upon her question Rias didn't notice the rigid and serious expression rise on her brother within seconds of her questioning

He sighed before he took a moment to contemplate his response, weather he liked it or not this was a 'need to know' basis, but for unfortunate reasons his sister was in that particular category due to her based in kouh, if he wanted her prepared for anything then he'd tell her... the twist would be surprising to her

"*sigh* it's been almost 10 centuries since an incident like this occurred, the most recent occurrence on earth was 669 years ago, in Europe that what humans called 'The Black Death". It consumed 200 million human souls in its wake until its 'sudden disappearance' 7 years later, it wasn't seen on earth until today, at the very spot that which you stand now"

The words Sirzechs spoke brought on a few disturbing topics in her head, ones that which she didn't like thinking about... she had attended history class – obviously – and the class on the black death wasn't mostly focused on it but rather pandemic's of history, the teacher however did go into detail when a fellow student of hers asked about it since it did bring about a slew of 'hoo's and awes' when the teacher said it suddenly disappeared into thin air seven years later from its appearance, such a subject she had almost fallen asleep on

Human conspiracy theories amused her to some degree but she had almost fallen immediately asleep when a male student said 'it must've been a zombie outbreak' to which the subject dropped in interest and her sleep became more interesting... the rest of the class fell on deaf ears

"So that means the Great War did effect the humans at some point right?"

Sirzechs cocked his head to the side and rubbed his neck, Rias had been adamant on his past since he was a few millennia older than his sister and that meant he was 'in the trenches' long ago, she had questioned both him and his wife Grayfia hundreds of times but his mother always said it was a touchy subject

And indeed it was

"In spurts, it was... from the beginning the war almost sent the human race to the brink of extinction but then it was brought to a halt by the heavenly dragons who cut our numbers in two, I don't know what or who stopped the two dragons from literally destroying the earth but all I know after that is that we lost 2 demon kings that day, and I think the angels lost one as well... but that was the most violent time, after that the war only reached the humans in rare occurrences, but one such occurrence happed in Europe, involving an ambitious demon and a deadly pathogen" Rias had noticed her brother had delved into a story teller mode so she didn't dare stop him

She was only listening when after the mention of a demon did she finally find the motivation to press a matter

"This demon that attacked Europe, did he have a name?" she asked

Sirzechs shrugged his shoulders "If he did then I don't think I was cleared for that kind of information, I was only a foot soldier then, but I do know a handful of angels and an archangel were the ones to topple the demons ambitions, and after that he vanished" he explained

"Now..." started Sirzechs "back in the time of 1300's medicine was only primitive to the medicine humans have today, by simple guess I could fathom this infection has a more potent strain then its original state 600 years ago... Ajuka wishes to confirm that, in case an occurrence such as this happens a second time I wish to have a countermeasure developed"

Rias nodded at her brothers words, it was obvious he'd delve into this occurrence personally; as much as it seemed mundane it was by now very important

Rias' gut dropped further then it had before

She had fought a demon of unprecedented power, who could create a mutated stray and ghouls on a whim if need be... now she was lying to her brothers face about vital Intel on a coming storm

She felt sick, but she didn't dare show it

"So, is that all you need of me? My peerage has sustained two injuries and I wish to check on them" Rias asked

Sirzechs nodded "of course but I still have one question" he said before he was handed a piece of paper from an outside source, he looked down to it before he stopped and looked back to her

"From other known reports, I've heard the stray was merged with a weapon, I believe it was summarized as a cannon of some kind, care to explain that part?" he asked with his normal smile

Rias looked at him for a second before she straightened herself "Of course, when we finished dealing with the ghouls in the city we engaged the stray who possessed a cannon like weapon, I'm guessing it was a sacred gear due to its unnatural firing process" she explained, she had chosen to reveal her knowledge of it being a sacred gear because he'd find that out soon enough, no real need to play dumb

"Unnatural firing process?" he asked thus hinting her to explain

"It absorbed biological energy when it commenced its firing process, it can absorb 3 of the four elements that being gas, liquids and plasma... we learned it couldn't absorb solids so we used that against him, took its arm off easy" explained the red head devil with a small semblance to pride

Sirzechs in return smirked in a small burst of pride as well before he dropped it "interesting, then the stray must've possessed a sacred gear of low caliber, though I've never heard of a cannon type sacred gear"

"Neither have I, but by this point my mind is open to possibilities"

"A wise decision Rias, thank you for this information, you can attended to your peerage now" with his small farewell completed the image of the maou flickered off leaving Rias in a much more dim tent room

Lowering her head Rias felt a sigh build up in her chest, lie after lie she felt more and more terrible with each word she spoke but her resolve kept telling her to drop the feeling and carry on... she'd find a way around that demons order

She remembered Issei had a dislocated shoulder and Asia was in shock, it would have faded by now but physiological trauma can leave scars

Leaving the tent Rias spotted a crew of devil soldiers working on transport for the stray devils body, if the sight didn't remind her of the battle then the futile attempts to lift the strays massive body would be one for a comedic viewing

Too bad it really wasn't

Turning away from the hulking corpse Rias tread towards the medical tent only to see the boy she was looking for step out of it, left arm held in a sling

She was glad to see her pawn in a well enough state to walk, then again it was only his arm that was injured but him being let go from the medical ward was a sign of fast healing

Rias remembered they had new orders from the maou himself so dealing out those orders now then later when she was actually awake made more sense than waiting, and it seemed fate was agreeing with her because a second later and Akeno was standing among them, however Asia was still inside the medical tent

"Buchou, how did the debriefing go?" came a sudden feminine voice, a second and she knew it was Akeno's; her sudden question caught her from her internal thoughts

"It went by just fine, however we have new orders, ones given by the maou Lucifer himself" she announced, if the peerage didn't know they were siblings then a few gasps would have been heard but they all seemed unmoved, the notion caught their undivided attention but that was all

"Maou-sama has orders for us? What kind of orders?" Kiba piped in asking the mutual question

"Nothing truly worth worry over, he ordered our peerage and Sona's to patrol the city for any surviving ghouls that can reproduce a similar strain such as this one" she explained seriously

"The maou suspects the stray released a handful of ghouls into the city, now he wants to make sure it doesn't happen again, seems legit to me" added Issei whom stood to the right of the medical door

Rias looked at him "it is... How's your arm?" she asked causing the boy to look down to it

"Just a sore muscle and a bruised shoulder blade, the doctor said to keep movement on the DL for a few days, but I think Asia won't let this go for more than an hour" he said nonchalantly, Kiba cracked a smirk at Issei's words

"Try not to be so reckless next time then, and maybe you won't be calling out to Asia for help" said the blonde while he slapped the other teen's right shoulder, the sudden jolt in movement force issei to recoil on instinct

"Hey! That recklessness helped, didn't it? And I'm not always calling out for Asia's help... maybe" replied Issei and this time Akeno giggled at the banter between the two males

"Even so, you did help in defeating the stray Ise" added Rias who crossed her arms over her chest

Issei looked to her only to see her smile but very quickly, it dropped "anyways, how is Asia doing?" she asked

Issei nodded, a serious expression developing on his features "she's stable, the doctor recommended a good time off from devil duties, about 2 days worth"

Rias nodded "2 day rehabilitation period" she said more to herself then anything

Before the Gremory peerage could do anything a devil officer approached Rias "Lady Rias, all of our duties are complete and all evidence of our involvement has been erased" reported the officer

Again, the red headed devil nodded "Thank you lieutenant, my thanks to you and your men for your duties" she said and the officer bowed

"My pleasure malady" was his reply before he nodded to the peerage and walked back to the massive devil circle, a bright flash of red light and the personal guard of the Gremory family was gone, leaving an untouched shopping district to fall into view

"I must ask, did the devils build Rome in a day or did chuck Norris do it?" asked Issei jokingly, only Kiba snickered

"Good question" he said

"Akeno, can you take these three back to the club room?" asked Rias gesturing to the three devils

"Sure" with a nod Akeno turned to the three and summoned a quick devil circle to encompass the four, Rias watched as the four before her vanished

With a sigh Rias turned from the previous spot her peerage was and walked into the now desolate medical tent, it was mainly built around timed devil particles meaning the whole tent as well as everything inside of it would dissipate within a selected time frame, it made traveling in large military conveys easy and fast

Ignoring the fleeting memory of what she was walking into Rias stepped in to find Asia sitting on the edge of her medical bed, she normally held a kind smile but this time she had a far off expression, one that seemed to reflect on past events

But upon her entrance Asia looked up quickly only to lock gazes with Rias' worried expression

"Buchou?" she asked in confusion

Ignoring the instinctual question Rias asked her own question "How are you feeling Asia?"

"Oh, um? I'm fine" came the timid and quiet response from the former nun

With her head aimed down Asia didn't notice the red heads approach until she felt a pair of arms wrap around her head, for a good second Asia remained stationary for obvious reasons, the tight hug Rias had on her left her movements severely restricted

"Buchou?" came the same questioning she had asked before but instead of sounding surprised she now sounded confused by her leaders actions

Why was she hugging her?

Her confusion remained unanswered for a second before Rias pulled away from contact showing Asia a happy expression on her master's expression, thus increasing her confusion further

All Asia could do in her confusion was stare, stare deep into the eyes of her master who for unknown reasons to her, seemed so happy and it bugged the young girl why it didn't make sense to her

Did someone say something kind to her outside? Did something really good happen?

Along all of those thoughts Asia kept trying to pinpoint the main cause for her master's apparent joy... wait?

It wasn't joy she was seeing, only part of the main emotion... was it, thankful joy?

The thought brought a small semblance of acknowledgement to the former nuns face but before she could act on her realization her master noticed she was confused

"I'm sorry for confusing you Asia... but I've been meaning to thank you" started the red haired devil whom showed a side Asia was quiet uncomfortable to see, sure she came off ignorant allot but her common sense was still present... just took a moment to fully kick in

But now she was fully aware of what Rias' emotion was, that being, gratification... she was shocked to see the emotion a second time, the first being Issei's victory over Riser but right now it didn't reach her just yet

Pondering on what she was thankful for only sprung up more questions, therefore Asia decided to word her question outwardly "Thank me for what?" she asked in her usual timid manner

The question only caused Rias to envelop her into another tight hug "it may be a hard subject but what you did... back there... I'm grateful" the soft whisper of Rias' voice was muffled but Asia could hear the genuine words clearly

"Um..." unable to respond to the words of gratitude Asia simply wrapped her own arms around her master and hugged her back, seemed only natural to reciprocate a hug

A few seconds and the second hug was broken and Asia could see her master's previous expression was now fully recovered, she didn't have a serious expression on just that she seemed more at ease

"With all of the work I needed to do I had to save my thanks until later" started Rias before she stood up and sighed "anyways, how are you feeling?"

"Thanks for asking but I think I'm fine now" replied the blonde before she sighed as well, Rias in return simply smirked

"Just a little shell shocked is all?" a single nod confirmed her words

"Well, remember what I said about sulking?" she asked, her tone wasn't soft but seemed to return to her past drill instructor tone, but this time it wasn't harsh and demanding but it only stood to remind her a lesson they all went through back in training

The past is your lesson, the present is your gift, and your future is your motivation

With a small look of realization Asia found herself feeling a smirk rise to her lips, the lesson was almost grained into her brain, not that she had been beaten down like the others but, she just found herself relating to the little quote more so personally then the others

In a small sense she saw her own life in those few words and she even saw herself, smiling as she went through so many hardships, why was she low now when she had almost stared death in the face so many times previously? Nothing was different

'_So why should I dwell on them now?' _thought the young women

"You remember now?" asked Rias in a fake commanding tone, Asia wasn't able to see her small smile but Rias was in fact smiling

She was feeling out Asia's devil energy from when it was low and now to its peak, in normal standards it was subpar but to see her back made Rias feel like she had paid a small debt back to her unsuspecting savior

"Yes, I remember buchou"

Rias titled her head "then why are you still sitting down?" upon asking the question Asia looked up towards Rias, a lone tear developing in her right eye

Rias had noticed the tear and simply lifted a teasing smirk towards the blonde "and remember what I said about crying?" she added causing Asia to blink, lucky for her the tear was batted away by said blink of confusion

"Huh?" she asked

"On nothing" Rias waved off nonchalantly... Asia was still confused

Dropping the mood Rias extended a hand down to Asia and smiled down to her kindly "now, I believe we have club activities to handle... Shall we?"

With a soft smile Asia lifted her hand and grabbed Rias' who pulled her to her feet "the others should've been dismissed by now" she said

"Hai" replied Asia before a red magic circle developed around them and relocated them in the club room

When they returned to the club room all that occupied the room was the Gremory queen whom had two cups of fully prepared tea sitting on the desk in front of them

"My my, you two took some time to yourselves" teased Akeno, her usual tone of teasing seemed less merciless then what she used against issei

"I was just helping my junior" replied Rias normally before she looked to Asia "do you want me to walk you home Asia?" she asked but the blonde quickly shook her head, too much kindness

"N-no, thank you for the offer though" she replied before Rias quickly replied

"We'll its well past midnight so I'm not going to let you walk home alone, Akeno can you prepare a magic circle for Asia?" upon being asked Akeno smiled and nodded before she walked over and summoned a circle for the blonde

She seemed confused but Rias nipped her confusion in the bud "when I first had Issei do flyers he was attacked twice in a week, _and saved twice in a week" _her last words were muttered only to herself but she continued before Asia picked that up, Akeno already had noticed "I'm not about to let that happen again"

With a small smile Asia smiled and nodded "ok, see you tomorrow then" she said kindly, Akeno smiled her usual smile, eyes closed and slight smile, while Rias smiled to her normally

Red flash and the two were alone

"My, my Rias, you've become quiet the leader" muttered Akeno with that smile of her's still fully equipped, her flattering words however were simply ignored

As soon as Asia was visibly gone from the room Rias' calm and soft smile was vacant, a scowl now adored her expression with a deep reading of malice laced in her eyes

The wordless response she received in return for her compliment forced Akeno to look to her master only to see her foul expression staring at the spot her new bishop was previously standing

"Rias? What's the matter?" asked the confused Gremory queen

Rias was well aware of her queens confusion and she wanted to quell her friends confusion but she was beaming with so much anger it was hard to even consider it, the feeling was sudden and unrelenting and she found herself lost in her emotions

Last night she had come close to breaking apart at the seams due to an illusion of sorts, she had heard the screams of her peerage as they were killed one by one over her comm's channel, they're screams echoed in her head like an unwanted memory breaking through the mental filters

Then came the words of the demon, it pretty much asked her to play by his rules while using petty threats to cue her into submission and she sadly ablidged by sheer instinct

Perhaps it was fear that helped her along that unwanted path? Rias was certain that was the cause

Then her anger almost skyrocket when the image of Asia's brave feat almost cost her life, the anger she felt wasn't mainly on Malthus but more to her own uselessness, she had been frozen by fear while her peerage remained moving

A true leader _never _freezes

She had not been taught what a true leader was to actually be but she considered the subject strictly centered to personal preference and hers was more demanding on her part

She had frozen, and that almost cost her peerage a valuable teammate

Her right hand clenched tightly at a memory

Back before they had gone to the district she had promised to keep Asia protected while issei did his pawn duties, it was a system they had devised during the 'crimson week', Issei's abilities demanded he be on the frontlines instead of medic protection

Not only did she promise him but also Asia that she'd do her best to fulfill her promise to both of them

Had Malthus' swing been any faster than not only would she have lost Asia to her weakness but she'd have also lost Issei's trust in her abilities to her inactivity

If she wanted to be her ideal leader then she'd need to make sure fear was the last thing she'd even feel on the battlefield

A leader was to be the fixed point, the first to enter battle and the last to leave it, she was to stand as an ideal figure to her peerage in a positive manner, not a negative example

"Rias?" a small voice came out and this time she looked towards it

Akeno was standing to her right side, a serious expression laced itself on her face but the red headed devil could tell it was forced, she sounded small and meek, as if terrified of something

"What is it Akeno?" she asked calmly, a tone vastly dwarfed by her expression

"Are you alright?" asked the Gremory queen, her tone again seemed scared and small

"I feel fine Akeno but why are you so scared?" asked the red head before she turned to her queen, upon moving towards her Akeno seemed to recoil back forcing Rias to pause and narrow her eyes in confusion "Akeno?"

Now it seemed Akeno had seen something which caused her to widen her eyes

"Akeno? What's going on? I'm confused" asked Rias a little bit more normally then usually, things had changed drastically since her return to the occult research club but things didn't get weird until she got angry

Rias paused _'wait a minute?' _she thought before she slowly glanced down to her hand

?!

Rias' eyes widened when she saw her hand almost completely covered in bright red energy, it was tame enough to see her hands but the fact she was caked in red energy confused her greatly, when had she unleashed her power of destruction?

If memory served well, she hadn't even thought of unleashing it and it seemed to her it unleashed itself

A shiver crawled up her spine when that thought past her mind, there was no record in history that told of living devil magic, it was inherited and collected through family bloodlines, it didn't awaken itself, the user woke it on his/her own accord

But this... this was completely different

She had deduced its unleashing probably started when she felt that anger from before, the situation had helped her forget most of the anger but it still reverberated in her head

Closing her eyes Rias focused on closing the open flood gates of power – a training scheme she used to help in keeping her power in check – a few seconds later and a weight she hadn't noticed fell off her shoulders

When Rias opened her eyes Akeno was seen standing before her, a confused and relieved expression on her eyes while her mouth was covered by her hand

What the hell was that?

"What was that?" asked Akeno, her tone was normal again which seemed to relieve Rias a good portion

For a minute Rias tried to respond but she felt a weight return... devil energy expenditure fatigue, she had used a high volume of devil magic in a short burst, and by how tired she felt it was way more then she had in her reserves

Rias dropped to a knee in response

Seeing her master drop to a knee sent her in action, after standard procedure (calling out her name) Akeno rushed to her master's side only to see Rias was close to passing out

The devil magic she had released just minutes ago was unnatural and completely random, she had developed a deep brooding expression before a colossal level of devil magic skyrocket from her being

It was so monstrous Akeno had almost shrunken away in primal fear, it was either by sheer stupidity or bravery that had kept her from running and thankfully she had not run, the amount of magic Rias had expended had thrown her into devil energy expenditure fatigue

"Sorry... about that" muttered Rias weakly, Akeno looked down into her arms to see Rias was barely holding to consciousness

"Don't worry about it Rias, you need rest now or you may develop severe internal damage" advised Akeno seriously, it seemed Rias was in full agreement to her words because just as soon as she replied the red head had passed out

Akeno sighed deeply when she noticed her master had fallen asleep, whatever happened to her must've forced open a large portion of her reserves in rapid succession, even Rias wasn't aware of it until she looked at her hands, Akeno was at first curtain it was all on her but her masters confusion as well as the repaid rise in her devil magic told her it really wasn't

She was taught by Rias' mother and Sirzechs servants on almost all of the devil magic in hell but what didn't come up was forceful reserve opening, IE: devil magic literally forcing open ones magic reserves by the seams, it was possible for those who had small control with large portions of power but there were only four of those in hell and bringing this to their attention right after facing a demon was a big no – no

Rias had specifically ordered them that telling any of the Satan's of the demons involvement in the stray battle would need to wait until the situation presented a higher pressing matter then what it was now, it was a pathetic excuse, but arguing with a royally pissed of Gremory wasn't on anyone's bucket list at the time, so all she could do was trust her masters judgment

But right now her task was the restoration of her master's magical reserves... the devil way

She was glad the spare bedroom was only to her immediate right, she wouldn't outwardly say it but Rias was a big girl – she's eighteen, which meant her standard weight would be around 180 lbs, then add in the muscle development – yeah, she was heavy... but in a good way!

With a good burst of effort Akeno had escorted her sleeping master to the spare bed room in the abandon buildings dormitory, which was renovated to be attached to the club room

As she prepared her masters stand in bed Akeno remembered one, slightly uncomfortable fact about her masters... sleeping habit

A sigh escaped her lips when she simply did what she needed to do

A good uncomfortable minute later and Akeno had stripped her master and placed her in the bed, then came the main uncomfortable path

'_I really hope the others don't see this in the morning tomorrow' _

With her last words drifting to the back of her memory Akeno commenced Rias recuperation

**-XxXxXxX-**

**-With issei and Asia on route to Kouh Academy, occult research club/ 12:10 am Saturday/ 1 day until the meeting-**

The night before was drifting in and out of Issei's mind as he and his female friend walked towards the occult research club. From Akeno's orders the previous night they were told to meet at the club room early in the morning for further orders from Rias' debriefing with her brother, Sirzechs Lucifer

Not only is it an order from her older brother but one from a highly powerful being from hell, orders from those kinds of people are ones not to be taken lightly or ignored

"How is your arm feeling today Ise?" asked Asia kindly

His mussing, distant thoughts were dropped upon question, he raised a confused brow in question "its fine, why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering if you have any after pain, you did scream pretty loudly when he reset your shoulder" replied Asia with a normal expression

"Yeah but that's only because he didn't warn me about it" he replied while he subconsciously rubbed his sore shoulder

"When we get to the club room I'll apply twilight healing to it for you" she said like it was no big deal

"Wait Asia you don't –" issei paused in his quick reply when he saw Asia shake her head, signifying she wouldn't have any of it, instead he dropped his good shoulder "alright, thanks Asia"

Seeing his submission to his supposed fate Asia giggled "I haven't healed you yet" she said with a smile

"That determined expression of yours seems to have already healed me" he said jokingly, all Asia did was smile at him

The two went quiet for a moment before issei picked up a new subject, one he'd been meaning to ask since yesterday "anyways Asia, I've been meaning to ask you something"

Asia in return stopped and looked at him "Mhm?" she hummed sweetly, some part of issei thought the question was redundant

He was obviously going to ask about how she was feeling but for some reason Asia looked and sounded perfectly fine, from time to time she seemed distant but otherwise her emotional state seems perfectly balanced

**[I can attested to that partner] **called out Ddraig from inside his head, before it startled him but he barely jumped... twas but a usual occurrence

'_You can feel her emotional state now mister Swiss army knife?' _asked captain jack sarcasm

All Ddraig did was ignore him **[it's not really hard to notice boy since you've already noticed, she's fine] **

It didn't take any more ignorant confused questions to press his buttons, the dragon in his head said it already. Asia was well on her way to mental recovery... all he had to do now was say...

"Ah... never mind, let's just get to the club room before we get chewed out"

Asia tilted her head in confusion before she just relented and nodded "hai" she said plainly before she started walking with her friend again

The two were silent as they approached the club rooms entrance, knocking once issei gave a five second pause before he shrugged and entered, however buchou wasn't in view nor was anyone else

"Huh? Where is everyone" asked Asia in confusion

"No idea..." started issei before he narrowed his eyes "hold on" he said before he popped his ears and held his partially opened mouth

All was quiet until he heard a small shift, almost like bed covers moving, signalling Asia to stay put issei walked over to the door to the club room's spare bedroom, keeping his ears popped issei stood in front of the door and sighed

"Hello?" Issei called in a normal tone

No answer

Issei narrowed his eyes at the unwanted memory of yesterdays stray devil hunt; it was the same thing as yesterday

Asia didn't know why he chose his way of entrance but it seemed to her the answer didn't really matter after the fact

**BANG!**

With a tenacious kick issei Spartan kicked the spare room door off its hinges before he rushed in... Only to suddenly squeal

"Issei!? What is it?!" yelled Asia before she rushed to look into the room

The sight she saw was rather provocative and it showed directly on her face... as well as Issei's

Directly in front of the door was the rooms study desk but to the doors left was the bed

That which was currently preoccupied by Akeno and Rias, who were both stark naked... and hugging

...

...

...

A lot of what they were seeing hadn't really registered on both Asia's mind as well as Issei's, though one of which was understandable due to her innocent nature however the un-registration on issei stood more to the fact that he hadn't the _chance_ to notice because of a cat like reflex on the blushing Akeno Himejima... who had directly nailed him in the face with a jolt of powerful lightning

**[BOOM! HEADSHOT!] **yelled Ddraig before a round on thunderous laughter filled the silent room, Ddraig had predicted the event since many times prior to issei, Ddraig had in fact seen a similar scenario play out with a few of his previous wielders

Rule #2 in common sense: _'must I explain the concept of a closed door?' _

**-XxXxXxX- **

_**10 minutes later**_

"So remind me again what happened?" questioned a groaning issei hyoudou, he was currently applying a cold ice bag to his sore nose

"You ran into a storage room and hit your hea – nose on a shelf; I believe we've been over this twice already" replied a blushing Akeno, It was feint and unnoticed... but it was there

"Alright alright... still confuses me though, how I can be hit through buildings and trees yet a shelf clocks me out" replied issei, Akeno simply shrugged at the boys confused words, she had "no idea" either, the lightning she hit him with was strong but she wouldn't tell him that... she had knocked him out a few times in spar's before but that one hit her highlight real

Never seen a man do a back flip from a head shot before

"Will you be alright Ise?" questioned Asia worriedly which caught the boys attention

"Nah, the nose only throbs but it'll pass in a minute, thanks anyway" he said in reply before he closed his eyes from the headache he also felt

He was going to pass the time with a small cat nap but he was waken back from Dozy land by a bright green light that originated from his left side, glancing down to the source he spotted Asia going to work on his left shoulder

"I almost forgot about this" she muttered

"Ah... thanks"

For a minute issei graciously sat back and let Asia heal his sore joint and within a short time frame his arm was back to normal, when a small pop reverberated from his shoulder his arm suddenly felt good as new

Tearing off the hindering arm brace issei flexed his arm and smiled at its fluid motion as well as its painless response to the more vigorous movement

"Mhm... good as new" he said before he smiled to Asia whom smiled back

"Glad to help"

Now the two hadn't asked it by this point the two had noticed Rias was still in the spare bedroom, issei was told recently that she had stayed the night due to king duties and after action reports – a good excuse as any for Akeno to use – but the truth was going to be revealed anyway, they needed to know what happened in case for future occurrences

"Anyways, Akeno why is buchou still not here?" asked the brown haired teen, his question only caused Akeno's expression to harden somewhat... the memory that question brought up kinda embarrassed her

The skin ship thing was not common among the two beauties but it wasn't as if they hadn't used that healing type before, back in the day she had trained vigorously and had sustained many wounds... her master's best approach to mending her wounds?

Strip her naked and hug the living day lights out of her while she was also naked

Akeno's cheeks grew rosy by the minute when the memory flooded her mind, It was not easy for the sight to jump to some less then dignifying perspectives and she be damned if any male would see the sight, Rias couldn't care less but she was more of an exhibitionist then she was!

Akeno had to shake her head from the memory when it got far too deep **[Don't even **(-_-)**] **and quickly got on to the truth telling

"Something happened last night that I can't fully explain" she started and Issei's eyes grew wide at the sudden memory of that demon they faced, his thoughts almost made him jump in a rage but he stopped his reckless actions when Akeno continued "During the time she spent working, her devil magic started to grow extraordinarily fast, so fast she wasn't even aware of the change until I pointed it out"

"What happened to her, is she alright?" questioned issei seriously, Akeno took a minute but she nodded however it was unsure

"She's stable, I had to help stabilize her devil energy just so her power didn't tear herself apart but right now she's fine, all she has in after effect is devil magic expenditure fatigue, give or take a few hours and she will be back on her feet... hopefully" she explained but issei narrowed his eyes

"What do you mean 'hopefully'?" he asked deeply, Akeno's eyes slightly dropped at a second unpleasant memory

"It wasn't just uncontrollable devil magic that went rampant but something entirely different... something darker" she replied before issei nodded and lifted his left hand

"Ddraig, you there?" he asked

**[I am] **Ddraig's voice was loud and open to all occupants of the room

"Do you remember what you did to that ghoul back in the shopping district?"

**[Obviously, are you implying I use that here on your master?] **He replied calmly

"So you've been listening" muttered issei knowingly

**[I've been listening ever since I felt that large patch of residual demonic energy behind you] **upon the words of the dragon all eyes in the room widened and all combatants, being Akeno and issei launched in stances however the next words of the dragon eased of their alert

**[I said residual, calm down] **

"Next time word your sentences more carefully" barked issei annoyed

**[Next time listen to them more carefully] **replied Ddraig with a stone cold retort

Akeno simply ignored the batter and became lost in thought before she suddenly looked to issei... or actually his left hand

"Mister Dragon –"

**[Call me Ddraig please] **replied Ddraig quickly before adding **[I feel weird when I'm called that] **

It took Akeno a second to process she had just got onto a first name bases with a dragon, shaking her head she carried on "D-Ddraig, what does the residual energy feel like?" she asked seriously and curiously

**[Mmm, it's hard to make out, try standing over there] **

...

...

...

Ddraig suddenly felt extreme anger rise up when he realised that pointing in Issei's mindscape did absolutely nothing to help point out where he wanted issei to stand

"Ddraig you're aware that we can't –"

**[Shut up!] **Barked the dragon quickly before he started up again **[here, this'll make finding the spot more easy] **

Issei suddenly felt his eyes grow heavy only to steadily return to feeling normal but now every color on the spectrum vanished leaving everything in a bluish tinge, however, issei became aware that he could now see energy levels or more accurately energy color

Akeno was bathed in a yellow like energy that cackled and sparked here and there "what is this?" he asked

**[dragon vision, allows you to see the spectral colors of all living things and the personality traits in visual concepts] **explained the dragon in a bored tone as if he'd explained the ability a few too many times

"Akeno, you're sparking" announced issei while he stared at the golden light show that danced on Akeno's figure

"Eh?" question the raven haired beauty before she glanced down to herself, only to see nothing

**[they can't see it numb-nuts, only you can] **added in Ddraig out loud just to make sure the boy didn't embarrass himself further, had she been human then not only would he look insane – with the thousand yard stare he had on her and all – but the question would have either been a complement or the girl would've found a way to twist his words to a shot to her weight, Ddraig didn't know, but he'd seen his wielders smacked around for the dumbest of things

"Oh, sorry Akeno" he said before he looked away, his curiosity forced him to look at Asia only to see the girl surrounded in green pulsing energy

'_Ddraig, what does the energy behaviour mean individually' _asked the curious teen

**[There are many different combinations, but the two in the room are normal, the older girl has a 'wild' personality and at times it can suddenly change, be it good or bad is directly centered on what happens in her life] **explained the dragon

'_What about Asia?'_

**[A calming pulse signifies tranquility and serenity if I'm not mistaken, its pulsing which means it isn't fully tranquil but it's as calm as the other in this room, I remember angels have a non moving energy level due to their constant state of divinity, Asia seems close in relation albeit the pulsing is the only thing differentiating her from the divine pigeons]**

'_Nice! Knew she had it in her' _the answer didn't really rile up a response from the dragon and he didn't really care, the next thing he did was look down to his own hands only to see something that confused him

'_Ddraig? Is it normal to have two different colors?'_ asked issei as he watched red energy burn around him like fire and green energy spark around him like lightning, similar to his dragon force ability

**[Normally no, but your case is different than the mundane, the red energy acts like fire for almost two reasons, destruction and at times chaos while the green lightning like energy shows you as well carry a 'wild' personality but its reasoning for being a different color means you have two living beings inside you, you get three guesses on who that could be] **the dragons words simply increased Issei's admiration for his own power, he even learnt a bit of himself! While the last bit of it slightly pissed him off

**[Moving on, I believe you have a third or fourth energy level to see... look behind you] **doing as he was order, issei turned to see a red and black energy cloud near the teleportation zone of the room and walked over to it, Akeno followed along while Asia stayed on the couch

"What do you see Issei?" asked Akeno hastily

But issei didn't answer, extending his left arm out the teen waved his hand slowly through the slow moving cloud of energy, watching as it parted from his hands and at times the cloud – very faintly – light up with red energy, like a lightning storm was taking place in the cloud

It wasn't very large but it seemed ominous and very imposing

"Issei?" pressed Akeno calmly; she took notice of Issei's expression when he was standing directly in the same spot as Rias was yesterday, he looked petrified yet fascinated at the same time and at times it was hard to tell which one

"Hmm?" came his questioning hum

"What do you see?" she asked again and this time the boy looked to her

"I see... a cloud of black and red energy, almost like a feint smoke cloud and it feels... angry" replied issei calmly he hadn't realised it but the cloud was coiling around his arm as if it was living, the sight was cool looking but he'd seen Prometheus, the last time someone let something unknown coil around his arm it snap it in haft

Recoiling his hand back slowly issei noticed the cloud as if follow his hand but then it dissipated

**[Looks like you made a friend] **piped Ddraig sarcastically but issei ignored the jest and continued to stare at his hand

But while he looked at the residual energy latch to his arm before dissipating he noticed a small stream of red and black

Akeno watched as Issei's eyes trailed from the spot of residual energy to suddenly look away, she followed his gaze and her eyes widened when his vision was looking at the room Rias was currently in

Issei wordlessly followed the trial while Akeno wordlessly followed him towards the door to Rias' room, before they entered the room issei stopped and looked at her

"I'm not walking into a nude scene am I?" he asked which Akeno felt was currently the most off topic question ever asked in an apprehensive atmosphere... ever

"Wha? No, no" she said in reply before issei simply nodded and opened the door... only to freeze

The boy, whatever he was seeing hadn't felt nor cared when Akeno bummed into him from behind, and it seemed to Akeno that she would take more care to stay a few feet from the boy

**[Issei, it's safe... just, carry on] **soothed Ddraig as issei stared at a literal black wall of smoke, he could see red but it was muffled by the black cloud of – what could be best described as pitch black ink

"Easier said than done Ddraig, I'm literally staring into the abyss right now" he said in reply out loud, confusing yet terrifying the raven haired devil behind him

**[Just do it] **the dragon said in reply, it was more forceful then before

Sighing deeply issei extended his arm only to see the cloud part, allowing his hand to pass through with zero resistance, his eyes narrowed when the cloud didn't give off a feeling but he shrugged and walked through fully without hesitation

Aside from his creeping suspicion issei couldn't quite help but admire the sight inside the room, from along the exterior of the walls issei could make out black smoke but along the interior of the walls was all red energy, dancing around like a cloud and glowing fiercely, it looked like he'd walked into a black and red cloud

Akeno from outside the room watched as issei seemed to admire the walls and décor of the bland spare bed room before he looked back at her and squinted his eyes

"You there Akeno? I can't see you" he asked and Akeno tilted her head, he was looking right at her why was he finding it hard to see her?

"Um... I'm right in front of you issei" she said back confused

"Well right now I'm tripping balls, all is see through the door right now is a black wall of smoke as thick as 60 layers of black paint... and a whole lot of red"

Akeno's eye brow raised at her allies reply before she shook her head and walked into the room and stood in front of him "this better?" she asked, the boy nodded

"Well what do you see here?" she asked while looking towards the sleeping form of Rias, news flash... she was still sleeping

"Pretty much the same thing as that residual energy outside, except..." he said before trialing off forcing Akeno's eyes to land on his preoccupied expression

"Except what?"

The teen simply declined his head in contemplation before he seemed to find what he was looking for "before the residual energy outside looked translucent and pretty much dying out, but this seems to be thriving, I feel like... I'm in the heart of the storm"

Akeno had wanted to ask another question on what her friend was seeing but the dragon must've read her mind

**[Partner, how about instead of explaining it horribly, just transfer the vision to her]**

The boy only huffed before he dropped his left gauntleted hand down into Akeno's shoulder

_**[TRANSFER!]**_

Akeno was apprehensive when she felt a sudden weight on her eyes and instinct forced her eyes closed but just as fast as the unknown feeling took to envelop her eyes it vanished, she felt safe so opening her eyes was easy... processing the new type of vision she had was the hard part

!?

Issei watched as Akeno's eyes widened before she started to quickly look at the walls and floor before the ceiling became the most interesting thing to her

"You alright?" he asked before the raven haired women snapped her eyes to him and widened her eyes even further at the color of Issei's power signature

She took a minute to process it all the while muttering these intelligent words...

"U-uh, y-yeah"

"Heh, you get used to it quickly but now you can see what I see... your opinion on the rooms decor'?" the last of Issei's words sounded like a high class butler in a sarcastic manner, her response was a fake glare towards him

She took a moment to take in the sights, her vision at first was blurry due to all of the lights in one go but now everything wasn't a massive blare and she could honestly say, as ominous and creepy as the air felt, black and red does complement each other rather well

As 420 as it sounded, Akeno did experience a 'cloud' like effect when she noticed the smoke like energy flow but she didn't understand its significance

**[Well... now that you two have taken in the sights I do believe we have a possible demon problem on our hands] **

"Way to kill the mood Ddraig" deadpanned issei

"No, he's right... check Rias, if common sense stands true I'm pretty sure this... residual energy, must be connected to Rias' loss of control" agreed Akeno while she looked towards Rias position, issei even glanced and immediately agreed if not fully

The black and red smoke leaked from Rias like a facet, it looked like a mini water fall of dark smoke that rolled down the bed and up the walls like a slow but fast current of energy

**[It probably is, it took me a second but I compared the energy with the residual energy outside and I can confirm a small trace of demonic energy weaved in the cracks] **

"Is it demonic energy exposure?" asked Akeno with a sour expression

"It could be" muttered Issei quietly but the testy subject didn't fall on deaf hears as Akeno was quick to lock angry eyes at him, something the boy wasn't fully prepared to see

"What? It's not like I want that answer to be true but she was the only one to approach both that demon freak and also approach the remains of that stray devil and we both know that thing leaked demonic energy like a broken water pipe" pressed Issei, when faced with a set of angry eyes whose owner was known for being sadistic, short answers and explanations were a must when arguing

**[Well your both fortunate yet at the same time unfortunate] **started Ddraig catching the attention of the two

The dragon didn't even need to wait **[normally demonic exposure shows a very visible effect on ones energy signature, irregular changes in energy color or the sudden shift of energy flow, the second stage is when it becomes buried and physical changes commence, some physical while the more powerful demon can get a metaphysical mutation] **

"Well I don't see any of that; all I see is black and red" added issei

**[Save your questions partner, I won't be able to answer any in depth until I can get connected to the source physically] **replied the dragon calmly

"Well why didn't you say that at first?"

**[I did, you've just been preoccupied with human curiosity] **

The boy's eyes dropped in deep annoyance, every bloody time he tries to argue with the mythological beast in his head he'd always miss something... or forget something

With a light click of his tongue issei approached And outstretched his gauntleted hand, he felt hesitant in his next action but neglected to actually acknowledge it and proceeded to place his hand on Rias' forehead gently

From his experience with scanning the ghoul from before issei could remember the similar sensation but this felt much more intimate, he guessed the lack of life in the creature was the main cause for the lack of a recuperating reaction to his contact, it wasn't physical but rather internal

'_Ddraig? Why does this feel different?' _he questioned in small doses of worry

The dragon huffed before he replied quickly **[the initial connection process links you to the internal affairs of the second party, you'll feel small energy fluxes and possible memory trading but nothing truly impacting, just... let it flow over you] **

Issei knew questioning further was pointless, the connection to his internal partner was cut right after the quick and informative answer was uttered and now the dragon was getting to work, best to leave it to him

'_Let it flow over me... easy enough, I hope' _his uneasy words didn't really get rid of the uncomfortable feeling he had, it was almost sudden when the strange energy began to bombard him, not violently but like a lodged log in a raging river

By this point he had forgotten his exterior self and now all he saw was a river of black and red energy raging towards him but none actually hitting him, like the red sea it passed by him leaving no other feeling then uneasiness

For a good minute the young man simply stood in place, he felt continues waves of energy slam into his spot leaving small shock waves or tremors, he had no desire to 'explore' the deep dark cavern he found himself in

'_Rias' Inner mind' _muttered issei as he glanced around

_**~over here~ **_

Issei almost jumped physically upon the sound of what seemed like kind and inviting words from someone... feminine? Its pitch sounded high but not to high to be child like, and it was... Distorted

"Who's there?" he called out defensively

_**~over here~ **_

Issei twisted around again, this time the voice came from down the cavern, and a closer inspection showed the teen an exit to the tunnel however it glowed red instead of white

"Yes issei, follow the mysterious distorted voice into the unknown, nothing bad will happen" muttered issei to himself before he found his legs moving on their own

"Doesn't look like I have a choice on the matter" he added when he didn't in fact have control over his lower body

The walk went on for a good minute and the previous feeling of overpowering uneasiness was dropping little by little the more he closed in on the sounds source

And by that time issei began to hear things, not just noises but in they were in fact voices strewn about in small echoes

'_Small memories... Ddraig was right' _aside from hearing a large amount of voices, some loud others but mere whispers issei continued on

However the more he continued his quest of curiosity the louder the voices grew until small sentences became apparent

"_**Lady Rias, your brother wishes to talk with you –"**_

"_**You are to be married to the third son of the Phenex family"**_

"_**Wha- no!"**_

"**It is the responsibility of the future heir to uphold family –"**

The small conversation that he unfortunately heard brought on anger to the teen as he continued his walk down the cavern but his anger was overridden by confusion a second later

"_**Your anger is you weapon my dear –"**_

This time the voice was male and powerful but it echoed down the cavern distilling and distorting the actual tone

"– _**thank you father, with It I will rein destruction on them –"**_

In return a female voice, a very familiar one at that responded to the words of the male

"_**You will be the first of many... Val –"**_

Issei's ears were peaked when he heard a name or rather almost heard a name before a dead silence reined

"What the hell's going on?" questioned the teen as he stepped into the glowing red light

_**~Nothing of your concern, NOW LEAVE!~**_

Issei's ears pulsed forcing his hands to cover them, had he been ready then the large ball of black and red energy that collided with him could've been avoided

**-XxXxXxX-**

**(Outside Rias' mindscape)**

Akeno had been patient for a good minute but as she was being patient she was also curious, all through the minute she was waiting for her junior for an answer but he seemed to be deep in thought or so she thought at first, she became aware of Issei's true mental state when she felt out the similarities in energy readings and how issei had completely molded himself with Rias'

It was a incredible feat for a new devil but realizing he had help kind of deterred her impression a small bit

But it was a minute after when things grew serious very quickly

_**ZAP!**_

_**CRASH!**_

Within a matter of milliseconds issei was flung like a ragdoll from Rias' sleeping form by a flash of red energy – looked like a lightning bolt – before it vanished leaving a confused and pained teen leaning against a dented wall

"Issei!" called out Akeno before she appeared by his side

As she checked him for any sustained injury the boy's eyes fluttered open

All issei could see was a blur through his fuzzy vision, he had hit the back of his head against a wall of some sort leaving his vision in disarray but it was dealt with quickly from a soft hand being placed there, a small pulse of devil magic and it cooled down nicely, he hadn't even noticed Akeno until his vision cleared up a little

"What happened?" he asked 'what a day' he muttered in his head

"Something rejected you from Rias; you hit your head... again" reported the raven haired girl before footsteps were heard outside the door... multiple footsteps

"What's going on?" called out Yuuto Kiba from the door way

"Issei!"... Asia

"Hmm"... Koneko

Roll call complete, everyone's here

As Asia rushed to his side issei glanced back towards Rias, he hadn't dispelled his dragon vision or whatever yet so he could see the energy in the room retreating back into Rias; however something was new in the scene

As Yuuto Kiba walked over to Rias and checked on her he had unintentionally walked through _someone_, he couldn't see _her,_ obviously, his skilled senses would have warned him of the close proximity but the person wasn't physical but rather spiritual

_Her _entire features were covered in royal looking armor, black armor trimmed with red accents fit over her legs up to her thighs like gothic thigh highs with high heels, light chest armor fit over her torso and complemented her assets – it was very hard not to notice for an ex-super pervert – while small gauntlets rest on her arms up to mid bicep, her face wasn't visible but her red hair was, which cascaded down through the hood followed ominously by a pair of glowing red eyes that which stared at him

Before long he noticed the women smirk – or sensed it, he couldn't really explain but he felt 'curiosity' pass over him from the last remaining energy before the armored women raised her hand and waved her clawed gauntleted hand at him

Then the women twisted in place, a large black cape fluttered behind her showing off a familiar devil crest... As quickly as she turned she vanished just as fast... her entire body suddenly turning to smoke before melding with the rest of the black and red storm cloud, once the rest of the women's body was converted to smoke the cloud suddenly shot down into Rias

Within seconds the massive cloud of smoke that caked the room was gone leaving a calmly sleeping Rias Gremory blissfully unaware of the early morning adventure most of them all had

"Issei!" yelled a female voice that shook him for his stupor

It was Akeno that had almost shattered his devil enhanced eardrums

"Huh?" he asked before he shook his head

"What happened? Why is Rias sleeping unresponsively? And why are you on the floor in pain" questioned the irritated Gremory knight

"Perverted peeper..." muttered Koneko

Before issei could defend himself against Koneko's merciless words Akeno butted in with her own explanation but even before that could happen some else spoke up

"What's going on?"

The whole group paused before they all turned to see Rias, wide awake. Buck naked. And confused, staring at them waiting for an answer

The only sound that could be heard at that moment would be the sound of Kiba's hand colliding with his face to cover his eyes from the sight of his master's nude body; however he was the only one as issei simply stared while the others were simply girls who could care less

"Rias?" started Akeno whom seemed to look at her with apprehension, something that confused the red head "how are you feeling?" she asked

The red head analyzed the others before she scanned herself, but all she did was shrug

"I feel fine Akeno, why?" the confusion on the red head was quiet apparent to the others while Akeno tested something

"Do you remember what happened yesterday?" asked the raven haired queen calmly

Rias soon dropped her head and held there for a second as if trying to remember what happened but soon she raised it with a normal expression "I remember the fight with the stray last night"

"What about after the battle?"

"The cleanup..." she said before she tilted her head "where are you going with this Akeno?" aside from the calm question Akeno felt a cold sensation fill her with every pressing question she asked and after her second question she dropped it all together

She didn't remember at all

Akeno's eyes narrowed but they soften quickly before she sighed "No where president... we just wondered why you were sleeping in, it's unbecoming of you" she filled in the lie like a professional and everyone in the room knew what she was doing... well issei did, the others actually believed it as well

She bowed to her master "your clothes are behind me... we'll leave you to change"

"Thank you Akeno"

The others took the hint and stepped out, Koneko taking issei in a head lock will Kiba stood by with a beat red face... he hadn't seen _that _sight before

However before Koneko could 'bulldog' the teen in her arms to the floor painfully for peeping a hand landed on her shoulder, investigation showed it was a serious looking Akeno whom shook her head calmly

"I wish to speak with him quickly please" she said before Koneko let him go, her eyes a brand new level of emotionless confusion as she watched the two leave

"What's up with them?" questioned a slow recovering Kiba whom was now trying to change the current subject in his head

"No idea... but something's up" replied the stoic rook as she watched the door, but her interest dropped when a plate of chocolate was placed in her vision, chocolate muffins in fact

Her interest in what the other two was going to have to wait...

**-Outside the occult research room- **

"What's going on with buchou? Does she not remember yesterday?" questioned a confused issei

"No she doesn't, I wanted to see if I could remind her of the event but every time I thought of doing it I'd get this cold sensation behind me" replied the slightly nervous Akeno

"Hey" he started before he placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly "You alright?" he asked and Akeno simply looked at him for a second before she hardened her eyes

"Y-yeah... it's just... something is _wrong_ here" Akeno was about to continue but issei cut in

"I saw someone" he announced, quiet so no one else heard

Akeno's eyes widened slightly "Who?"

Issei didn't like the idea of this getting out of hand, they were already in deep with that demon in there city but now Rias was exhibiting weird side effects, first that decay ability she simply 'discovered' during crimson week but now she had weird power fluxes here and there

He saw her attack she used on the stray yesterday night and he knew for a fact she hadn't secretly trained to hone something of that magnitude... the hesitance she had after firing that attack even confirmed to him that she was unaware herself

Something was going on with Rias but they had truly no answers to fix it themselves, it was either wait it out and see if it was some kind of devil growth faze or call a Gremory doctor

After his hesitation he proceeded with the former idea "ok, just promise me you won't bring this up to anyone else" he asked and Akeno nodded

"I wouldn't do it in the first place Issei, the problem Rias is having is demon level, no doctor from hell's palace will be able to help her, this is maou level and we both know Rias insisted we keep them as far away from the loop as possible, for everyone's sake... now explain to me what you saw"

"Ok... well, the person I saw was a female, tall, red hair, black and red female armor and a long black cape" as he explained his finding Akeno skimmed over her own memory of a demon that fit his description but unfortunately... she didn't know about demons very well, only a handful of them being 7 in total and all of them were respected gods, there was only one female–ish demon among that rank and it was Asmodeus, demon god of lust

Black armor wasn't on that things attire more so then simple robes of ancient design

However the red hair left an easy impression

"How red was her hair?"

"Very... like blood soaked red"

Akeno's mind raced with all she could remember but so far nothing came up other than a possible relation to the house of Gremory anything further and she came up dry

"Well? Know anything about her?" asked a nervous issei

"No" she shook her head "nothing at all, I've been with the Gremory's since I was thirteen, you'd think they'd have a history book on family legacy or something"

"Then we've reached an impasse..." announced issei, Akeno nodded alongside him

"We'll keep this between the two of us"

"What about Asia? She knows of the demon problem"

"Just tell her it was a misunderstanding"

"A 'misunderstanding' Huh?, story of my life" replied the teen forcing a real giggle from the raven haired female, the two left the subject were it laid and walked back into the club room, thankfully the others didn't really find there excuse of leaving any bit suspicious... other then Koneko

As the two entered they both noticed Rias was back in her chair and bored expression on her features from waiting for the two but it dropped the minute the door opened "Glad you two could join us"

"Sorry for the wait but I was explaining to issei the concept of a close door" she said and immediately dropped his serious expression in favor of looking to the raven haired girl in shock

The expression of 'how could you do this to me' was evident on his face which forced a sadistic smirk on the raven haired teen "next time I might just introduce some punishment" as if the line wasn't enough of a threat Akeno added in a look that spelled 'your ass is mine'

For a lair... she really was fucking good at it

The others however hadn't expected that as a reply and soon dropped their shock and glared at Issei

"So you were peeping on me Ise? I thought we got you out of that faze" started Rias, a normal and uncaring expression on her face "but if you really wanted to see me naked you just need to ask"

His eyes were wider then they had been for any reaction shot taken by anyone

"Wait! What!?" he asked without thinking thus furthering the words of the red head

"Of course, ask and you shall receive"

Issei's mind was running rampant and almost overloading, no matter the instance a girl of Rias' calibre would _never_ admit to letting someone see her naked let alone willingly...

Wait a minute...

He can see what they were doing... they had literally driven him into a dilemma of extreme proportions, on one side he had a possible sarcastic problem, if he asked if they were being sarcastic and most likely were then he'd be seen as a gullible idiot while on the other side, if he however did ask if she was telling the truth then not only would his past demon (perversity) would return but all of his reputational change as well

Women, am I right? Expert manipulators of man since... well, whenever the concept of marriage came along

"Well" he took an intake of breath "I'm just gonna take a seat now if you don't mind" after he worded his retreating words he took a seat and made perfectly sure his eyes didn't lock with Rias'

Do bad... he would have noticed the genuine disappointed expression on her face

The others however hummed at his good choice, they weren't aware of Rias expression either and simply congratulated the teen for his smart retreat, even Koneko smirked slightly at his choice, the old him would have _most likely _dropped all shame and ask if he could see her naked

Oh there little pervert was growing up *tear flick*

A soft cough brought the attention of everyone back to the composed Rias who smiled at them all

"Now... let's get on with the meeting" started Rias but the door to the club was knocked on softly twice

"Hm" hummed Rias, seemed the day wasn't going the way she wanted

"Come in" she announced after dropping her pouty mood

The door to the room opened which revealed the form of two fellow devils and a third new figure

The first two she know to be Sona and Tsubaki and the third she knew of but her knew pawn and Bishop didn't, introductions were in order it seemed, so with that thought she stood up as did everyone else in courtesy

"Hello Sona, Tsubaki... what brings you here this..." she paused to glance at the clock, her eyes shifted when it was 1:00pm "...afternoon..." she drawled out, shocked at the time

Sona seemed to notice her expression and grew confused but never the less she continued "R-right, I've brought news that requires the both of us however I believe introductions are in order..." when she stopped a single man stepped forward

He was rather similar in height to issei but had a much skinnier build *cough* lack of training *cough* and wore the male school uniform without the blazer leaving the white dress shirt underneath exposed, he hand blonde hair and blue eyes, first impression to issei made him believe he was a 'generic American' but his racist side was squished away quickly by his name

"This is my new pawn Genshirou Saji" as Sona introduced him the teen stood forward and bowed to Rias respectively "nice to meet you Rias Gremory" he said kindly

"Nice to meet you Genshirou, these are my new pieces" she pointed to issei first "this is issei hyoudou, my pawn"

"Hey nice to meet ya" greeted Issei kindly but uncaringly his mood was elsewhere, it wasn't his tone that had pissed off the new boy but rather something else entirely

"Oh... you... the perverts defacto leader" grumbled Genshirou his disappointment skyrocketed

All issei did was narrow his eyes at the boys rude first words

"Well that was rude" he muttered... barely a second and the blonde was on his bad side

Male testosterone... figures

"I don't care of the opinion of a single pawn, I took four pawns... if you've been resurrected then it was either by luck or by a random act of kindness from Gremory-sama" barked the teen, unknown to him the words of the pawn had reached the ears of everyone... including Rias'

But she was known as a reasonable devil... if however she was male and full of ego then not only would the boy be eating his words but he'd also need a good chiropractor for the ass kicking he'd get for his disrespect to her _and _Issei... not to mention the embarrassment Sona was getting

She guessed the lesson on first impressions was lost on the boy

So in a kind manner Rias cupped her chin in her hands and smiled to Genshirou before addressing the fool

"Genshirou-san?" called Rias politely which forced the teens sour face to drop and lock onto Rias kind closed eyes... Sona had a feeling this would happen

"Yes?" he asked politely

Rias titled her head cutely in her cupped hands before pressing on "I believe first impression with my 8 piece pawn should be taken seriously and insulting him is quiet disrespectful for an initial meeting wouldn't you say?" she asked and at that moment Saji immediately knew... he fucked up

"U-uh? –" he was about to say something along the lines 'wait he's a eight piece pawn!?' but Rias wasn't done roasting him

"And who I choose to resurrect is not the decision of another families pawn to criticize..." she opened her eyes and locked her green eyes to Genshirou's low blue orbs "...so it would be extremely wise for you to gather information on who you're going to insult before you embarrass not only yourself but your master as well"

After her words left her mouth Saji literally felt a wave of regret land on his shoulders, he had not been expecting a harsh verbal thrashing from the Gremory heir but then again... he was strictly told by his master that human manners were seen as primitive to other devils so he pretty much dug himself a hole with a new dog house to sleep in

"Please forgive him... he's young and I haven't shown him the way of things just yet" Sona's smile was bright but it did hide a lace of 'this boy to my rights gonna get it' in her more friendly expression

"There's no need to ask, I already have... inexperience does come with some small reprieves" as she finished she look at the blonde "and I'm sure you've learnt your lesson"

The boy became rigid and at attention "Hai!" he yelled

The two kings chuckled before Rias introduced her next piece "now... this is Asia Argento, my bishop"

At her words Asia stepped towards the teen and extended her hand "Nice to meet you" she said

At the sight of the _extremely _cute girl Saji became waaaaay to excited and took her hand in his energetically, an action that quite frankly, sent issei into a glare... he knew exactly what the boy was doing

"Nice to meet you Asia, I'm Genshirou Saji –" the poor boy was about to say something extremely cringy but be it by fate or something else entirely he didn't say it, however one would believe the dangerous energy that filled the room was the main cause for the teen to freeze so suddenly

All he had to do was glance up to see a pair a green glowing eyes glaring at him from the couch, his fear rose when he realize it was the hyoudou boy he had been insulting... oh he wish he hadn't looked

His snare and look alone told him very clearly he was treading on territory he was not welcome on, the obvious moves he was 'previously' trying to do was dashed by the phantom steam that exhaled from the boys ears and nose to signify extreme danger

You could say he should have wore his brown pants today

"... It's a pleasure to meet you Asia-san" finished Saji in a fleeting tone

With the introductions complete Rias noticed Sona drop her expression and become serious "I take it introducing your new pawn wasn't your true goal here was it?" asked Rias being fully aware of Sona's sudden mood change

"Your eyes are sharper than usual Rias..." muttered Sona as she turned back to her friend

"I like to keep them that way" retorted the red head causing Sona to huff in return

"I'm here on matters regarding three church officials that showed up on my door step not a few minutes ago" revealed Sona before everyone in the room including Saji to widen their eyes considerably... this excluded the two other Sitri house members

Saji was shocked to hear about church officials but the rest of them knew something was considerably nostalgic about that line

Rias was the first to compose herself before the others followed

"What happened?"

"Surprisingly, they were peaceful" Sona's tone sounded serious but Rias knew her the longest and she detected a much stranger tone... almost a insulted tone in her voice

"You sound insulted" replied Rias causing Sona to narrow her eyes at her before she reached into her pocket

"For a serious situation that one priest was quite the character... so much so he gave me this" before she finished she dropped a chocolate bar onto the massive oak desk "...as a joke" she finished

Rias as well as the others took notice of a regular sized 'snickers' bar that sat on the desk before a small chuckle could be heard which caused most if not all heads to snap to Issei whom looked to be choking on his voice

"Something funny?" asked the now insulted Sona Sitri

As if her question was funny issei almost keeled over but his composer was his top priority at that point, nobody else was laughing

That was... until Rias busted a gut in laughter

"Pfffff haha hahaha!" laughed Rias with tears in her eyes, the joke alone was funny but it being done to Sona of all people was just gold in itself

"Hey!" yelled Sona but it just made it worse as her blushed face sent Rias over the edge a second time

"Hahaha... eat a snickers hahaha... cause you'll turn into Grayfia when you're angry haha!" laughed Rias reciting the joke that had popped in her head

For the following thirty seconds Rias laughed at her best friends red faced expression

Out of all of the pranks or jokes played on Sona this one was probably the most subtle of the group, her sister Serafall was a lively women and took lots of time and pride in making jokes and pranks on her poor little sister just to see if the girl would laugh... 105 pranks later and she hadn't laughed at one

Only glared

Like right now... at the snickers bar

"That priest must have some nerve... joking with me like that" worded Sona, eyes flared with anger and embarrassment

"Relax Sona..." started a composing Rias "... jokes are usually a sign of peaceful intentions"

"And what if he did it to you?" questioned Sona with a question that brought her a raised brow

"I'd still laugh..." she said with a deadpanned expression which caused Sona herself to deadpan

With a long sigh Sona changed the subject "Well... they've asked to hold a meeting with the both of us present here tomorrow"

"Really, what for?"

"I don't know, when I asked he said to tell you and wait until tomorrow's meeting with them"

"What would a priest want with the two of us?" asked Rias to herself

"It could be an assassination attempt, two birds one stone kinda deal... I've heard church fanatics usually use suicide missions for these kinds of things" added Saji sheepishly

Rias shook her head "heaven and hell have made it perfectly clear that war isn't on their agenda, the only ones who show open desire for it is the fallen angels but they've been dormant as well"

This time Sona added in "besides, if they were trying assassination then it wouldn't work nor would it be beneficial to them"

All Saji did was shrug at his theory being demolished, he wasn't mad about it, with the reassuring words the two beauties gave them said war and conflict between the two was a low chance then a high one

As Saji scanned the topic he noticed an angry expression on Kiba's face and it looked _sour _

His eyes narrowed at it but he didn't press on his curiosity... he been on the opposite end of two glares already no need for a third

"So it's a simple meeting then?" guessed Rias before Sona shrugged

"I guess it is until we find out what they want to tell us"

After a few minutes of low key conversation Sona bid farewell leaving with Saji and Tsubaki, and after that things grew normal... Well as normal as it got for them since lately they all had been magnets to bad news

After the normal club intro things became almost normal, since they usually did contracts at this time they chose to get them out of the way now since right after they had patrol to deal with at night while Sona was informed on her new day job

Many students in school that day would say that Sona leaving school on sick leave would go down in kouh's history as 'most unlikely of instances coming to life' ever.

It was a chore for most of them but it did change up routine a good bit and who didn't like a change in scenery now and then? Since they had direct orders from Sirzechs Lucifer himself Sona sought to complete the job without argument or hesitation, however the thought of dropping school production process in favor of hunting stray 'Zombies' did cause her to cringe at the ridiculousness but further explanations from her friend Rias helped her rationalize the job

The information given to Sona was mostly true however the demon part was neglected in favor of keeping the dangerous subject on the DL, Sona was a responsible devil and a loyal one at that but she didn't encounter the demon personally so if she learned of the demon then bodies would be pushed aside in her rush to report the historical moment to the Satan's. Rias didn't want that... not yet that is

They needed a way to find the demons plans and neutralize his hold on them so to call in the Calvary, one demon verses 4 maou class devils... she was sure the blood stains would wash

However they had little Intel on the demon, all they had was his name but that didn't do anything, the history of demons was by base a simple memory in one's head, the only demons recorded with back stories and actual written information was the select few who stood behind the 4 original demon gods and they've vanished from hell years ago while the ones who stood against the original four suffered greater loses then simple death.. They were erased entirely

History books and names, everything gone in repentance from standing against their 'father'

That little history lesson wasn't absent of a few fearful shivers, Rias included

So with all that 'organized' Rias was curtain things were going to get crazy real soon, and it was all starting with a simple meeting with three church officials... it seemed coincidental to her, three church officials showing up only 1 day after they encounter a demon

She had her suspicions but also her doubts... only the meeting will tell her which was which

**-XxXxXxX-**

**-With Isaac and team/ kouh cities 4 star penthouse suite/ Saturday, 12:30pm-**

*sigh*

Today was the day of the meeting and like any other nerve racking moment my blood was pumping with anticipation and slight nervousness, what can I say I'm hu-

Wait a minute...

Well... aside from the anxious expression on Irina and the near blank expression on Xenovia we were set... but one of us was missing

"Wake up Dulio-sama!" announced Irina as her fist yet again beat on the room's door, I could make out soft grumbles and moans on the other side but the sleeping sack of lazy was still unmoving

Before Irina could literally blew I gasket I placed my hand on her shoulder and smiled at her annoyed twitching eye brow, she was up tight and very nervous and the frustrating scene was causing her to nearly hyperventilate

"Aye, easy on the yelling Irina, I'm still waking up myself" I yawned, long days of working and 11:00am wake calls turned into 5:00am wake up calls, I may be a walking computer of celestial data but mental fatigue was a bitch on high heels when it hits home

"Oh, sorry senpai" replied Irina whom stood back and pouted... yup she was really nervous

I patted her shoulder before I winked at her "I got dis" I said confidently before I Spartan kicked the door open

The sudden action had caused a sudden boom of noise to erupt causing the room's occupant to jump from his bed

"Woah woah! I'm up I'm up!" yelled Dulio as he stood at his bed, arms up in mock surrender

"That got you up" I said with an animalistic smile

"Didn't he say keep it down...?" muttered Irina as she deadpanned

"No comment" replied Xenovia equally deadpanning

"Well you didn't have to kick the door open Isaac..." replied the Italian but I smiled and ignored it

"Sleep well?" I asked as I closed the door, not before I winked at Irina and Xenovia cheekily... they had been staring are Dulio's exposed torso for a good thirty seconds

A few squeaks of realization were heard a second late

"Aye, I didn't have to deal with a love stricken fox yesterday, so yeah I'm good" he said with a cheeky grin, I simply scrunched my nose before I smirked at him

"Well hurry, we have a meeting to deal with in thirty minutes and I need my trump card ready if things go uneasy" I said while he just waved dismissively at me

"Yeah yeah, I'm up now so you guys can go on ahead of me, I'll be right behind you" he said before he yawned deeply

All I did was smirk "not gonna pass out on me?"

"Nope"

"You sure?"

"Positive"

"Alright then, were off" I had to make sure captain sleeps-a-lot wasn't passed out when I needed him so a good ol fashioned wake up call was in order, I had Irina do it but since she was basically standing on the border of peeping she only knocked on the door and if you knew Dulio, he could sleep through a rough car ride through a nasty hurricane

He can dish out tsunamis with a breath and a volcanic eruption with a sneeze the guy's practically _is_ the weather so a simple knock was a fleeting noise

But now since he was up and about we could go

Much to Irina's relief

**-XxXxXxX-**

The afternoon walk to kouh's resident academy was almost as lively as a rich shopping district however the teens on afterschool breaks or a lunch spares were not present as it was a weekend so most of the people were of middle age to old on various destinations such as walks or jobs... the teens were either in side playing video games or raiding the nearest mall

The odd family would pass by... followed by weird glances at the three large robed people

It was hard to smile at them as my appearance was almost similar to a desert raider from a sifi movie I watched a while back and I damn near faught the urge to go "who-te-de"

But alas, the professional atmosphere wasn't an easy cut I might say, the two 'rookie' exorcists were about as rigid as a poll and both equally as emotionless

Xenovia was her usual self I must say but Irina's nervousness was unfamiliar to me since yesterday the meeting she had with issei was by far the most relaxed awkward reunion I've ever seen, yet she continued to smile

But right now it was an obvious forced façade, the smile was almost like she was annoyed with something and the twitching eyebrow was new

"You al –" I stopped my questioning

"I'm fine" they both said robotically

I blinked "Yeah, I can see that" I replied sarcastically a dead look of 'I'm not believing you' hidden under my hood

As the situation was more or less uncomfortable and awkward I remained silent as we walked to the school, 2 minutes of unconversed ground later and we had entered the dead school campus, luckily the school perimeter's gate was opened to the public, however that was forgotten when the gate closed by itself

Devil magic, most likely... and that barrier didn't go unnoticed either

By the looks of things the devils were taking precautions just as much as we were, in case if things go wrong then the public wouldn't notice the school suddenly erupt in supernatural warfare

"Relax you two, its only precautions" I said to the narrow eyed girls beside me

At my words they dropped their ready stances before I began walking towards the instructed building to our immediate right, through a large bushel of tree's and vegetation came what seemed like a dilapidated building with worn out paint and a crusty complexion however the doors and windows were cleaned as well as kept in visual appealing order

"Well, aside from the lacking paint job I'd say the exterior seems... normal" I said while I looked to Irina, she only scrunched her nose before she took her hood off

"We didn't come here to admire the architecture of devil hide outs" replied Xenovia

I shrugged at her uncaringly before the door to the building opened revealing two female devils, my immediate vision had my eyes lock onto the black haired female with blue rimmed glasses, she was the second in command of Sona Sitri's peerage, the one we met yesterday, I didn't know her name nor did I know the other girls name who had raven hair and a purple set of eyes that held a kind visage

Of course it wasn't alone... a deadly ready aura surrounded them but it was held back

"Greetings, lady Sitri and lady Gremory will see you now" announced the queen of Sitri kindly

For a moment Xenovia turned to me with a expecting gaze, I had no idea what she was expecting but I simply smirked at her from under my hood and shrugged a second time "at least they have good hospitality" I said

Pretty soon we found ourselves following the pair of females until we arrived at a large set of doors, seemed like this buildings secretary room or possibly the head office, anyways, the two asked us to wait a moment before they pushed through the large oak doors

"Enter" beckoned a female voice a second after

The two were about to enter but I stopped them with my arm "Remember... no antic's" I reminded will keeping an eye on both of them, a dead serious one "they are going to be our allies after this, all negative opinions and personal grudges stay here, right at this door and you will leave them here until our objective has been completed... understood?"

The two looked at me and after a good nanosecond they nodded firmly... Irina especially

"Hai" they both said

"Alright... then lets rock" after that I pushed the door open revealing ourselves to the devils, well it revealed the two behind me however I still had my hood up... if they saw the ol platinum then things would grow quickly, let's not aggravate or agitate the hive just yet, I'll need to settle them into it then what I previously stated

Aaand... I could say a good dramatic entrance does enthuse me

I'm well past 1000 years of age, gotta enjoy the little things ya know?

From inside the room... large room, stood a good number of devils I really had no time in counting and each of them ranged from size to power level from their respective devil pieces, I recognised the Gremory peerage easily since its only been a good two weeks since our paths crossed but the other peerage was much the opposite

There were those with blue hair and some others with a reddish brownish tinge to it, like I said before I had no time to take in their traits unless I look like I'm staring at them... and scanning the room doesn't go unnoticed

For a supernatural being the only thing we really need to asses in our enemies power level is as stated... there power level, anything else is really pointless, power level isn't just there life essence but there whole capabilities set into one pool of energy, the larger the pool the more watchful you are of them, everything after that is emotional observation and their breathing pattern

And, a little tip... we angels can see memories, like how I can read the emotional state of a person just by looking at them, this is almost the same thing, in fact I don't even know why I'm explaining it... I barely use it

Must be my nervousness...

"Thank you for having this meeting, my name is Xenovia" started Xenovia

"And I'm Irina Shido" added the talkative one... I'm going to have to tell her about division policy of revealing family names, I'm kinda glad Xenovia is a bit resentful of her new family but at times I'm troubled by it

"It's nice to meet you" greeted Rias Gremory politely as the three of us sat down, somehow I was in the middle... don't ask

Before the negotiations could actually move on I felt two expecting eyes land on me, and looking up I could make out both Gremory and Sitri staring at me

"Well...?" started Sitri tapping her fingers on her lap "You gonna introduce yourself or are you the shady type?"

"Well I was getting to that Sitri I just hesitated for a second" I began before I got comfortable

"Wait... that voice" muttered Rias Gremory, eyes locked on my form

"Huh?" I grunted slightly taken aback "Don't tell me you've been thinking about me Miss Gremory" I said before I removed my hood showing off my hair, the others minus the Sitri house, Asia and issei looked shocked/angered by my presents

I say angered because from my left _and _my right I saw the blonde boy Yuuto Kiba glaring at me, but that was all he was doing, then came the second blonde who was glaring at me for... unknown reasons

Guess I had a thing with pissing off blondes... well Asia was here and I never piss her off sooo, forget I said that

"Another bishounen!" yelled the second blonde with a lone tear in his eye, which gravely threw me off since he basically said this:

Bishounen literally translates to 'beautiful man', one whose appearance _and _sexuality transcends from regular levels of orientation

So I was aggressively complemented... by a boy

We are off to an excellent start!

"Well if there's one way to start a meeting its with complements I guess" I said offhandedly while the blonde had his cheek pinched harshly by the Sitri queen

"I'm sorry for that..." replied Sitri with a long pause... oh she wanted my name

"Isaac, call me Isaac" I said politely... they most likely knew my name already seeing as it was revealed to them a while back

"Well Isaac-san, I'm sorry for my pawns -" the apparent apology from the Sitri heir was suddenly dropped when realization landed on her head

"No its fine... actually I think he killed the stiff mood in here, I'd thank him actually" I started without noticing the reactions I had in the room "nothing like a good unexpected ice breaker to a truce meeting" after my words I smiled at the blonde before I looked back at the shocked heiress

"You..." they both said in unison, a lot of people are doing that today

"Hi" I said slightly uncomfortable of the looks I was getting, even the other devils were confused

"The Paladin..." again with the unison lines!

All I did was sit there, uncomfortably staring at the shocked looks on Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri, not at all prepared for them

"Senpai... are they ok?" asked Irina slightly uncomfortable as well

"Um... what exactly did you do when you were here before?" asked Xenovia calmly which caused me to look of in space

"Mhm... let's think back on it... saved the kid, um, four times... killed freed... clipped the wings of three fallen angels... aaaaand, oh..." by that time I had realized the impact I had left them with

Everything I did was low key to a normal exorcist but repairing a completely destroyed park from simply pressing my hand to the floor really did shatter the persona of a mysterious exorcist with an unknown power level but _that_ sent me to full blown magical

Then remember my long history to which they most _likely_ hunted for

Hence how they know a nickname of mine... a nice one at that

"Hehehe" I mock laughed in embarrassment, that last move I pulled really was a 'spur of the moment'... or probably an ego trip

"Senpai..." growled Irina while they both stared at me with blank gazes, probably because I did something lots of guys do... show off

For a good minute the two devils stared at me in disbelief however it didn't take them a whole hour to realize I was waiting for them to compose themselves

"What are you doing here?" questioned a nervous looking Sona Sitri, hard to really tell but I heard some of it in her tone

"Is it fallen angels again?" asked Rias, she was a little more composed then her friend however her eyes didn't leave my form at all, not even blink

I simply raised my hands in mock surrender "easy on the questions please" I said calmly, easing the group's leaders down a tad bit

For a moment I sat there scratching my cheek while contemplating how we weren't receiving glares and hostility but instead looks of either fear (directed at me) or anger (you know who) while the rest seemed confused

"This is going better then I hoped" I muttered to Xenovia whom only slightly nodded in agreement

"Forgive my intrusion President, do you know him?" questioned the queen from the Sitri peerage, Sona at the question frowned while keeping her eyes on mine

"Yes... my sister told me of him and what little we know of his deeds..." replied Sona calmly which forced the Gremory girl's eyes to shake

"My brother did the same..." she said quietly

While I sat by and listened to the words of the heiresses I leaned back and listened to the small trading of words from there lower ranked members before I looked to issei, his gaze was one of recognition and he didn't seem at all worried on the matter... he kinda looked bored

Huh

"Isaac-san... what is your business here?" asked Sona Sitri seriously and I noticed a lot of muscles tense behind her, ready for anything

I – don't know what for, my weapon was concealed and the other two had their weapons in perfect view, Xenovia's especially and it was wrapped tightly in holy seal cloth, it'd take a good 2 seconds to remove it

"Seems I have to explain this in detail before I break it to all of you" I started while sitting back up, my words didn't really help ease the suddenly tense atmosphere

"Normally peace treaties between our parties usually end with a sour and bitter taste in both of our mouths; you're side had to deal with our fanatic self righteous white knight mentalities while we had to talk with sinners and in-human traitors with more ego and pride then Lucifer himself" I said sarcastically making a select few devils frown and even Xenovia frowned at me

"But let's check all of that at the door... you can be curtain that our own personal beliefs and ideals have been left behind for the ultimate goal we truly wish, that being peace" once I stopped I noticed Rias and Sona sigh quietly

"_Our _goal here Sona Sitri is not the purging of a group of fallen angels but an alliance between our two kinds... To fight an even larger force of course"

"An alliance... between all of us?" asked a confused/shocked Rias Gremory, I simply nodded seriously before I pulled out two manila files and tossed them onto the table between us

"I'll start from the top... a week ago my superiors received a letter of attack from St. Paul's cathedral in London England –" before I could continue Rias cut in quickly

"Isn't this classified Intel?"

I simply gazed at her "it is, and when I finish you'll understand why I'm telling you all of this... anyways" with that done I continued

"The three of us were deployed as a QRF team, however we were only there to find out who did it and what their aim was but all we found was a rouge priest cleanup crew and a single survivor" before I continued I felt my voice lock for a second

*Cough* "however our goal switched to hunter task force when we found out the cathedral housed the blueprint in recreating the legendary holy sword Excalibur" before I continued I paused when I felt killing intent spike suddenly but it calmed just as fast, for whatever reason the intent wasn't aimed at anyone

"At the cost of almost all of the occupants of the church they had obtained what they had been looking for" when I finished the first part of the briefing I leaned back while the two heiresses looked to me

"Why is that so important? All it does is recreate the holy sword" asked the red head

"Many Reasons miss Gremory... 1) it's an ancient relic, my superior's _do_ not like something that sacred to be stolen, 2) it's in the _wrong _hands and 3) if it is recreated it has the combined power of all seven holy swords, and only three are needed to cause a direct catastrophic detonation to level a whole city, and 4) three of which are in the hands of fallen angels, that being nightmare, rapidly and transparency, all of which had been forcefully taken from two churches and the Vatican itself" once I stopped a cold air filled the room from the bomb (no pun intended) I had just dropped

"It is the churches greatest fears come true" added Xenovia seriously

By this time the bored and uninterested expression on issei Hyoudou's face was gone, and now it was replaced with shock and fear so much so he worded a simple question, one I'd answer quite easily "if there's something that dangerous out there then why are you telling us about it when you could be hunting it down and stopping it?" he asked, and a large majority nodded in agreement

I smiled solemnly at him before I answered "we are..." I replied before I pressed forward, this time locking my eyes on the two heiresses before me "the weapon is a _holy _artifact capable of great destruction" now I looked to Sona Sitri "how mad would you sister be if that thing were to fall on you?" I asked forcing her eyes completely and uncharacteristically wide

"And you miss Gremory, exactly how mad would Serafall leviathan and Sirzechs Lucifer be if their dear sisters were to suddenly be killed in a holy blast?" after my words the two stared at me, then each other

"I'll tell ya what would happen, all of that talk of peace *whistle* out the window, Great War 2.0 is now in effect" I added before the two began to connect the dots

After a long and silent minute the red headed devil spoke up "Who is in charge of this?"

Her words brought me to a topic I had fumbled over for a few hours last night, if I were to keep the information of Malthus from them then they would be fighting blind against a far superior foe they were not at all ready for, and not to mention the trust issue that would follow on my choice to neglect crucial information from the start, all it would take would be a single casualty and there goes the neighborhood

No, I had made my choice last night, they needed to know

"Isaac-san... who's in charge?" pressed a nervous Sona Sitri after a while of silence, it had been only a few minutes since the meeting started and I have dropped more plot twisting H-bombs to level all of their doubts... hell, I could say jolly ol saint nicks gone bat shit crazy and they'd believe it

Before I answered I felt a sudden soft pressure press down on my head... Dulio had arrived

*sigh*

"We first found out of its involvement during closer investigation in st. Paul's cathedral, and then we learned of its identity shortly after finding sulfur within a concealed holy ritual room" I stopped my revealing when I heard a gasp from Rias Gremory

"Is something wrong Miss Gremory?" I asked politely

"Sulfur... did you just say sulfur!?" she asked aggressively, it wasn't hostile but rather an outburst of emotional strain

"Yes... we later interrogated the rouge cleanup crew but they were silenced before they could give us anything" I replied

This time it was Sona who piped in "they were silenced? Who silenced them?"

I shook my head at her "It wasn't a physical silencing Sitri but rather a previously acquired sigil popped their cherry noggins before anything could be done" my reply again forced them to look at each other nervously, I could tell they were directly on the path I was leading them on

"Now fortunately we have a system that helped us find the sigils origin, and our find was... historical to say the least" like a badly written story I brought down the epic plot point with only a single sentence

"The sigil was marked as the demon house of Malthus, bringer of war"

Let me explain why the silence that rained after my words lasted so long, to a pure blooded devil a demon was a myth, a bed time story to either inspire or to scare children from hells domain, they had lived so long ago they probably date back farther than their own parents IE: dark ages... like no internet

They were patriarchs to their devil counter parts and while some do still live among the devils they have ostracized themselves from its workings entirely, some transcending while others vanishing entirely and the only known demon to still be commonly know is Mephisto Pheles who was once known as the 'prime evil' now I hear he's known as the 'prime creep'

Mighty have fallen, get over it

Now, the shock Arndell had towards the demon being involved would probably be the most lax I've seen or heard of anyone reacting to a demon being muttered of mentioned, and while I did take my time in bring down the 'revelation' it was only because simply saying 'hey a demon is up to no good' would be eerily close to crying wolf... mainly: it wouldn't have had the this kind of effect

With the dead silence I continued my briefing, safely to assume I wouldn't be interrupted

"I alone encountered him during a fallen angel incursion at an undisclosed orthodox church a while back, 4 days ago maybe five and his objective was simple: retrieve the Excalibur sword under protection of the fallen angel brigade he has under his command" I explained, the shocked devils who weren't frozen asked a further question, Tsubaki was the one I believe... I heard her name called out a few times by the blonde... just an FYI

"Fallen angels? Why would they side with... a demon?" she asked hesitating at the mention of that word

This time I looked at them confused "you don't know?" I asked and she shook her head

"Sona hasn't learned of any demon other than her own family demon Isaac-san and I'm afraid lady Rias doesn't know either" she replied causing me to look at both Sitri and Gremory both of whom shook their heads ... well that's a set back

*sigh* "Malthus is an earl of hell and erects towers and fills them with ammunition... in fact we happened to have destroyed one of his 'towers' located in Kyoto, inside an abandoned Shinto shrine" I explained, this time issei asked me a question

"What did you find there?... Did you find any Excalibur's?" he asked, kinda quickly to

"No... I'm afraid he's hiding those carefully, since there crucial to his objective we won't see them until he uses them" I replied calmly, the hyoudou boy simply 'tsk' before backing up "as for the fallen angels, well, we have no evidence backing this claim but we as well as my superiors believe the cadre class fallen angel, Kokabiel is directly connected to Malthus and his continues victories" after my words I looked to Tsubaki and nodded

For a minute I waited for the two before me, that being Sona and Rias, to finally return to the meeting since they had been silent for the last of the truce talk only soaking up all the information, not getting an answer I locked gazes with the raven haired girl behind Rias Gremory one who herself looked like she'd seen a ghost

I snapped my finger and she alone looked at me

I stared at her then shifted my gaze to her master, gesturing silently for her to get her masters attention

"Rias..." started the girl as she tapped her master's shoulder, only once and the girl sprung back to life

The first thing she looks at was me – flattering, before she realized my expecting glance

"Yes Isaac-san, what is it?" she asked shakily, I smiled at her

"Since I'm the kind of guy who makes sure his point is across I want to make this perfectly clear" once I got her's as well as Sona's attention I pressed forward "the demon Malthus wishes to assassinate the two of you with a holy artifact, it's effects will commence a war, the great war, and my superior's as well as me and my crew believe the best course of action would be to ally our sides together, combine our strength"

"Only the three of you?" questioned a distraught Sona Sitri, the stress was real today it seemed

That was way too easy

"_Four _of us..." I corrected before a gust of soft wind erupted from behind me which revealed the fourth exorcist in the room

"I'd like you all to meet my friend here, Dulio Gesualdo... the Vatican's strongest exorcist"

**A/N: well that's a wrap!**

**It's been a long time since I've gotten into writing and I'm glad I did, this last bit was done on one of those kinds of days were my brain just 'clicks' and boom, a way my writing goes**

**I'm happy, it's been a few too many weeks since my update and I feel like "the division beta" is one of the main culprits, that and the fallout 4 bug still hasn't been shrugged off completely (I'm still hunting for the explosive minigun) **

**Well aside from my low life having a direct impact on my writing hobby I managed to get chapter eleven out**

**Sorry for any plot holes BTW, it's hard keeping up with the time gaps and changes I compulsively like to use...**

**I honestly haven't got much to say on this chapter, I left a lot of what happens in the meeting for the next chapter and on that note, second season that being this arc will end next chapter as well**

**And for those asking when Rosswiesse is gonna come into play well that's the chapter after the next one, hopefully... if that's gonna be my goal then don't expect the next chapter to come out for a while**

**I have the meeting, my own after math of the meeting, the change to yuuto's path of vengeance as well as the large battle that will ensue then a surprise intro for a character!... I guess an estimate of 40,000 words? Maybe more, depending if I'm in the writing mood**

**Now I have many other things I'd like to bring up... mainly a vote**

**I'm at an impasse here guys and gals... you all know I preach about taking a different path until I'm blue in the face and so I want your guises opinion**

**Do you want Xenovia to become a devil like normal? Or become an angel?**

**Personally I want the angel change... feels fresh to me but I'd like to give some power to my readers so there ya go, the voting will be done when the next chapter comes out**

**And now here's an even bigger vote**

**I've come to the point where I have multiple ideas for new stories pooling up in my head and I've grown ever so restless on the matter and so I have three that I want you all to vote on**

**New story #1: not many people have done this and the only one to have done this speaks and writes in Indonesian and quite frankly I don't speak that so I want to write my own version of a prototype/DxD crossover, it'd be posted in the DxD section because I'd only be using references to it and have only a handful of characters from the game, it'll be dark-ish with a few character deaths and blood, kinda what this story is like but less white knight protagonist (sorry Isaac)**

**New story #2: a more large range story kinda like what blueprint is doing with "disavowed" where we focus on a human vs. supernatural conflict on a large scale, a large slew of protagonists or one with a large variety of devil killing boom sticks and of course, BFG's... pretty much a 'doom' story with humans slaughtering a much more gritty version of DxD devils, less tits more blood IE: a gory bash fic... it'd be a fun side project since doom 4 is coming (looks hawt)... I'd play it... or hell, I could add some 40K elements in there, always wanted to see the imperium of man slaughter some heretics *grins evilly* **

**New story #3: this one I've been mulling over for a good while, I had been asked this idea by one of my readers were I focus on events **_**before **_**DxD canon begins and then I delved into a self-insert-ish view, modified the idea and came up with a story that would be quiet cool to write... for me personally, always wanted to write a near omnipotent telekinetic badass anti hero tear through the DxD universe before the actually story would begin... yeah, self insert does sound like a turn off doesn't it? It won't be a true one but it'll still be there... in a comedic manner**

**Well, you can vote on those two subjects for a while in the comments and be aware that I won't start writing them right now... Well actually I could, just not upload them so to keep public demand from crying out, I could write the new story without uploading all the while write my main focus story (this one) and by the time I finish this guy the next one will be done... two stories one... wait that wasn't going anywhere**

**Well guys it's been fun, hope you guys can leave a review for little ol me... love hearing from you guys, it motivates me into writing more**

**R&amp;R you beautiful bastards and in the mean time... imma wait for dying light: the following**

**Peace! **


	12. the Hunt Begins: final Part 1

"_United we stand_

_Divided we fall" _

_\- Patrick Henry_

**-XxXxXxX-**

Ever think up a plan so thoroughly you believe it to be insurmountable to fate... or bad luck?

Of course you have

Be it a day plan or a simple task, we all plan for a curtain goal for us to complete

From the simple task of making a bowl of cereal in the morning to a life plan for our future, we always plan for something, it's what makes us - well us - can't go through a day without plans right? Well that's not completely true since quite frankly, we've all experienced a drag day, a day that seems to last forever

But underneath the mundane plans and goals there's always a period where we plan It out to ourselves or maybe to others

We plan against any problems we may encounter, obstacles, setbacks anything that could jeopardise the plan we've forged and try our very hardest to make sure that our plan goes as smoothly as possible

And that's what I did

I wasn't planning on making cereal, or a future plan for myself... but rather a path of negotiation so ridden with safe guards and fail safes I was absolutely curtain nothing would throw all of us over the kayak and into shit creek without a paddle

And by this point you're probably waiting for the line that reveals my plans failure and our sudden dive into confrontation with the Gremory and the Sitri house, it's what usually follows a long ass explanation like that

Sorry to disappoint you but that's not what's happening

The reason I explained that long explanation on 'plans and goals' was to simply lead up to a simple point

Not all plans work out as the way we planned them... sometimes

Let's face true facts here

I had multiple parties to negotiate with, and with that came the multiple personalities that followed, I could have a group of anti-priests, or perhaps fanatical devils, rogues or worse, the very devils I've hunted before... not to mention I had already loosened my chances of winning the hearts of the devils by that Snickers stunt I pulled yesterday

Devil pride is hard to work around and damaging it wasn't a good step in pulling an 'I'm on your side' line only a day later

So to put it simply, I had full belief my plans would have had a few 'bumps'

And I know I know, 'you promised Irina everything would be fine' but it doesn't matter about that

I wasn't fully aware of my mistakes until the fifth cup of coffee last night and that was when my doubts surfaced so you could say the night from then on was probably the most stressful...

Ok, so now we've seen the bad side... now let's take a gander at the positives

From their side, three - no four, _powerful_ exorcists showed up at their door step, claiming their alliance to them with ZERO grunts or complaints on their side

Take a minute to let that sink in

Christian's. Willingly. Allying. With devils... I'm sure you can get the drift

So not only is their shock at an all time high but there fear was as well, even if I didn't mention their involvement on a demons hit list the idea of four extremely powerful exorcists in one area would have hinted to them that shit was GOING to hit the fan... then you can mention their true involvement and watch their eyes grow even wider

So basically... my plan had literally unfolded. Perfectly

The main goal was to keep them in shock throughout the whole negotiation, it helped in keeping a person's mind open to details, I had told Xenovia and Irina to keep the knowledge of Malthus out of the equation but I had dropped that by my **sixth** cup of coffee and I never really got the chance to tell them that... oops

The reason is however simple, if I had neglected in giving them that information then they wouldn't really be at all ready for the true problem, yada-yada-yada, I've explained this before

Prepared and scared is better than unprepared and oblivious...

The rest is easy to understand, divulging crucial Intel gives an impression that you trust them with it and a devils pride demands them to up hold that... reverse physiology here, you see?

The final act of revealing Dulio was basically a final representation of their true situation, my face wasn't well know... as much, but Dulio's was and the Vatican had no qualms in keeping his accomplishments out in the open, mostly to act as a deterrent and mostly to keep aggressive acts to our side minimal

And by that point the revelations had been enough to guarantee our alliance, now all we needed to do was negotiate roles and rules

But before we even get to that they'd need to pick up their slack jaws first...

For a moment I sat back in the - rather comfy - love seat, the blonde to my left in my peripheral vision was shocked but he was more into glaring at Xenovia's sword then to actually look the part

Yuuto Kiba was obviously his name, I've already delved into his back story with Claire in the Nexus and my opinion on it other than the horrible flashbacks I get from _that_ operation is... unbalanced, I can understand his anger, hell even I have a level of anger towards the subject, however his killing intent isn't targeting Xenovia but rather her sword (like I stated before)

I could tell Xenovia was feeling the intent since she did shift in her seat now and then but a soft nudge from my shoulder was enough to warn her to not engage or acknowledge and thankfully she obliged with zero retorts or grunts

"Are we in understanding with each other Miss Gremory, Miss Sitri?" I asked suddenly, calm yet reserved expression taking hold of my features; this forced Sona Sitri to look up at me first

"As hard as it is to believe, we are" she said sounding strangely calm, a small flick to the bridge of her glasses and she looked as serious as before

Now came Rias Gremory whom had been a little bit more considerate in gathering a variety of opinions

"Akeno?" questioned the red head whom locked eyes with the Gremory queen

All the aforementioned girl did was smile and nod before answering "it would be interesting to see how our two parties would work with theirs... as sudden and unorthodox as it is" she said with a keen look of curiosity

As Rias Gremory skimmed over her peerage, getting a load of nods in the process her final target was Yuuto Kiba... and my nervousness rose. Rias Gremory's concerned and worrying eyes were locked with Kiba's narrowed eyes for a good moment, I didn't know either of their full pasts nor did I know the bond they shared but after the next course of action, I got an idea of its status

"I suppose the situation demands it" he said begrudgingly, his eyes were narrowed but that was only his exterior, I could tell he cracked internally

The Gremory heiress sighed before looking back at him thankfully

"Thank you Kiba" she said gratefully

"Are you going to tell them what _we _know now?" he quickly added forcing Rias Gremory's eyes open, obviously aware of some information we didn't have... I looked on in interested as did Dulio, in a lazier manner I might add

The red head didn't look angry just shocked at something and had two emotions cross her face... relief... hope... strangely those were the two emotions mainly dominate on her features aside from her dignifying ones

She steeled herself shortly after before she spoke "Yes... I was uncertain how we'd react to it but now I see we truly do have a common enemy, one that far exceeds all of our skills and power" she started before looking at me and the others "You say your hunting a demon, named Malthus correct?"

I didn't answer, Irina did

"That's correct" she said seriously

She nodded, that look of hope rising up again "And how experienced are you all in facing a demon? I know it's a stupid question but you all must've gotten some kind of training for this" she asked calmly

As the others answered, that being Xenovia and Irina, me and Dulio remained silent for a second as the Gremory peerage and Sitri peerage almost cringe when my two juniors mentioned their lack thereof in demon hunting, then eyes landed on the two of us expectantly

I rubbed my chin softly before I answered with a dismissive tone "I have been trained in demonology for most of my time in the Vatican, started at the age of six and graduated the class at 9, though I never actually faced a demon until recently" the eyes rose slightly at the claim "As did I... though I didn't graduate that quickly" added my fellow senior with a kind chuckle

A slew of nods followed and I could hear a few sighs in relief

Now it was my turn to question my new allies skills, leaning forward I locked my eyes onto the two female leaders seriously almost enough to crack their own serious ones "how much do _you _know of demons?"

At that, they paled

They didn't know.

I sighed calmly "Forget I asked... I remember reading up that the old demons who survived the great war as well as the civil war destroyed all evidence of the rouge demons who perished, they're legacies were lost long before all of us were born, so I don't hold your lack of knowledge against you" I said politely

There was a silence between us for a small awkward second, the devils remained silent while I, as well as the others, awaited this information Kiba Yuuto mentioned and whatever it was seemed only exclusive to the Gremory's since even the Sitri team looked like they were patiently waiting, the index finger on Sona Sitri's right hand tapped impatiently against her folded arm before the women faked a small cough, which signaled the red head to awaken from her thoughts

However I indulged my curiosity

"May I ask why you want to know that?" I questioned patiently forcing the young devil heiress to somewhat spring from her gaze to Sona

For a small second I sensed excitement as well as hope again within Rias Gremory who suddenly sat back and pressed on "It would seem fair to all of us that we share information then to simply listen to yours alone" she started all the while releasing a nervous sigh "a few days ago my peerage alone responded to a stray devil reported in a local shopping district, his code name was 'wraith'..."

As the red head explained her 'report story' I along with the others listened intently, I more so then most, anyways, things got strange when she mentioned a form of 'infection' exclusive only to humans if possible devils, you can so that was the tipping point

From then on I knew full well where she was going, she explained the infections behavior with professional skill and my skin crawled at the familiar sounding characteristics these 'ghouls' carried. Mindless, hungry and violent, probably the only characteristic similar to fictitious 'zombies' humans created for entertainment, but these were different... they were corrupted by a demonic plague

I rested my elbows on my knees and cupped my chin with my right hand

"We thought it is just a simple stray devil hunt until _he _proved that wrong easily" when she finished I was expecting a form of fear to rise up from her tone at remembering the more then curtain traumatic event, however all I got was venom in its place

"Malthus was here already" I stated... she didn't need to go on; we all knew who it was

"Then if he was here already... how are you two still alive?" questioned Xenovia, the shock of the events was visible but she was hiding it throw a narrowed view

Rias simply shook her head while Sona stared at her friend in shock "We don't know... all we know is that he's here, in our territory"

Her words forced a cold air to fill the room causing most of the occupants to involuntarily shiver at the meaning, mean while I turned to Dulio whom had his eyes narrowed to the ground in contemplation

"Got anything you want to add?" I asked only to cause him to shake his head

"I have a thought but you won't like it" he replied seriously

"Try me?"

"He had his sights on these two well before we were even here, why he would spare them only leaves one idea, and it involves the new arrivals – that being us – as well as a third party"

My eyes as well as the others rose slightly at his meaning "Kokabiel" stated Xenovia matter of factly, expression growing sour

Now Dulio stopped staring at the ground and looked to me, eyes uncharacteristically sharp "Think about it; all three fractions are in on this, you have us, the angel reps, you have Kokabiel who is a fallen angel and you have these two ladies whom are the devils" with a small jab of his fingers and he gestured to the two devil kings before he crossed his arms again "seems to me the stage is set and the ingredients to start a war are on the table" finished the wielder of Zenith tempest

I sat down and chewed on that for a moment while the rest of them, being the devils conversed amongst each other

He was spot on, multiple problems surfaced at his theory

Here was our situation; Malthus knows for some reason the vulnerability of the two Satan's, Sirzechs and Serafall and simply killing their sister would be good enough to send them into a violent rage, so much so war wasn't far off, now add his insurance. If somehow his plan were to fail and his cover were to be somewhat blown then he'd kill me and my team in order to use our mere presents as a framing to the angel side, and considering the two Maou's would be seeing more red then reason you could be sure that either heaven or the Vatican would be targeted in retaliation... a bad and destructive domino effect, considering the Vatican was vulnerable right now

Ever hear of the phrase "between a rock and a hard place"? Or better yet... FUBAR?

You can amount this situation by combining those two multiple times

While I was drowning in my own negative thoughts I didn't notice the small argument happening until I surfaced from them on my own. Most of their argument was quiet and harshly whispered but you know, me being me it wasn't hard to hear, with a small pulling of a sub-dermal trigger in my mind and all sound vacated leaving only the argument present, I listened in

"_-why didn't you tell me of the situation Rias?" _questioned a narrowed eyed Sona Sitri

"_I-I didn't have a choice in the matter" _replied a meek Rias Gremory, the way she spoke was clear to me that she was hiding something from her allied devil, I guess the other didn't like that very much and Rias was feeling guilty about it... cat fight

"_What do you mean you had no choice? You always had a choice... that stray hunt was two days ago, you mean to tell me you had zero opportunities to tell me this?" _ The agitation in Sona's tone was rising considerably; I was barely using sound alteration to hear their small argument

"_How could I have been curtain _he _wasn't watching my every move? That demon warned me that if I were to involve the higher ups then he'd commence his plan, so if I informed you of this then you would've most certainly informed the higher ups"_ now it was Rias' turn to remark something

"_And that would have been the best option, had Sirzechs and Onee-sama been informed of this then this problem wouldn't be this dire" _this time both of them were narrowing their eyesat each other's conflicting views

I can see friendship between them but with that came a rivalry

"That won't be necessary" I said, officially barging in on their argument forcing them both to snap their eyes onto me

"What?" they questioned... in unison

I sighed at the obvious rise in devil testosterone. Great

Whelp seeing as how I had only a fraction of decision to act before they grew even more unreasonable I dropped my response "your both wrong" to bad I hadn't thought of one before hand...

I really should have put more words into my comment, I thought telling them they were both on the same foot note that they'd stop their argument but I, of course, was wrong

Rias sat back with a slightly narrowed view, eyes were focused solely on mine with a form of tranquil anger while Sona didn't seem to care for that small 'butt' to appear on her forehead with full force and felt content with expressing her negative emotions outwardly

"Did we ask for your opinion Isaac-san?" she asked calmly but she was far from the actual term

Now I do remember my long ass explanation on plans, and how my plan had gone off unhitched but now I see my arrogance was playing its part as well

And since I hadn't told myself beforehand that personal opinions should be kept until a true peace could be found, I had ignored my full reasoning, my words weren't so much as an opinion as they were more of a brash and rude shot to both of the devils prides and me barging into their conversation or argument was the metaphorical cherry on top

The hitch to my plans was arriving at blinding speed

And it was all because of my big. Arrogant. Mouth

Before I felt a sudden rise in multiple killing intents I instead felt panic among the many silent voices, before the devil kings could say anything a hand landed on Rias' shoulder stopping both Sona and Rias from doing anything

Issei hyoudou stood behind the couch with his hand on his master's shoulder, a dead serious expression on his face as he... glared? Down to his master, wait that doesn't seem right...

**[Rias Gremory, Sona Sitri] **came a deep rumbling voice, my eyes immediately locked onto Issei's left hand where a green light shown

"What is it Ddraig?" asked Rias in confusion, Sona didn't say anything but instead listened intently

**[You're petty argument has caused you two to become unreasonable. Calm down] **the deep voice of... Ddraig, I believe it was forced a deep expression of shock onto both Sona and Rias whom both acted in their own right. One looked shock for a fraction of a second before sheathing it behind a scowl and the other grew a shade of red, similar to her hair color

**[As you were, exorcist, I think it would be better if you **_**explained**_** your words carefully] **it didn't take me long to figure the voice was addressing me

"Thank you... Ddraig? Was it?" I asked only receiving a deep grunt in return to my question before the essence the voice had vanished

"Well, as I was saying before... your both wrong in your decisions, now before you ask let me explain first" I started, the two females eyes narrowed but they said nothing "I do agree with Sona Sitri on a degree with calling the higher ups" Sona glanced to Rias with _a look_ "by all rights are you all outclassed on this matter, both in power and experience, however" I then paused to release a deep sigh for what I was going to say "from what I could gather Miss Gremory, your encounter with Malthus was more up close then I realize, so much so you had a little 'conversation' with him, is this correct?" I asked, adding in a set of steeled eyes

Her eyes shifted before she nodded "yes... he warned me to not call my brother or I'd lose them all if I didn't heed his warning" at her words I nodded

"It was wise to not do so, yet foolish to not at least try, but I commend caution over recklessness any day" I paused when I heard a snort behind me "shut it" I snapped to the smirking male priest behind me

"Had you informed your brother of his presents and status of being alive, then one of two things would've happened" I sprung up my index finger "One, and most plausible, Malthus would grow extremely angry a 'low born _devil_' didn't listen to him, thus sending him into a vengeful demon that would place all of your family at risk." After I finished Rias seemed to quite literally swallow that information deeply

Here's a small history lesson on that, demons are older than devils by hundreds if not thousands of years and demons were known to inherit negative mindset's by their fall to hell, and any soul that was sent to hell was corrupted and dragged into a state of madness thus making up a regular demon, however devils are more of the opposite and show less negative emotions and are even more susceptible to kind emotions, you can guess the relationship the devils had with demons was a very, very negative one

End of history lesson.

Breathing in deeply I continued "Two, everything he said was to actually trick you into doing exactly what he wanted, you may be a prime target and killing you would be enough to spark a war but what if Sirzechs was the real target? Calling him would then lure him out and into the open, prime for assassination" while I explained things the others drank down my theory while naturally conducting theories of their own

But the raven haired Sitri heiress however narrowed her eyes at me in question "How can you be convinced Satan Lucifer would fall so easily? He isn't a Satan for nothing" she questioned

I grimaced slightly at her show of pride and ignorance but I kept from saying anything condescending and answered professionally "Many things come to mind Miss Sitri, in a one on one fight I'm sure the both of them would level whatever playground they may be located in but that sounds counterproductive to Malthus' goals to ignite a war, if all attention falls on him then his plans are ruined, even if Sirzechs would fall in a battle against him every supernatural being from here to oblivion would know about it, thus his plans fail" I explained earnestly "Malthus doesn't plan to fight the dramatic fight, but destroy the very peace his forefathers who betrayed him created from the shadows"

This time Dulio piped in "remember, he has three Excalibur fragments which are all capable of killing not only a devil but a demon as well, catching and killing Sirzechs _or _Serafall while they are emotionally compromised would be easy, and even easier with the fragments" he added seriously

"He'd play that dirty" muttered Rias with a dark look in her eye

"You were expecting honor from a demon?" questioned Xenovia calmly, I could tell there was some form of condensation in her tone but most of it sounded sarcastic but the Gremory narrowed her eyes at her tone anyway

Now Sona piped up "So to summarize the many theories here, me and Rias are prime targets of assassination which would ultimately result in retaliation and war, calling either of our older siblings would cause them to rush to our side without thinking, thus resulting in the death of a maou or two by a stolen holy sword and the reigniting of a war, or they use the Excalibur blueprint to destroy a large portion if not all of kouh city, resulting in a destabilization of trust between fractions and ultimately start a war" when she finished her summarization I could see her sigh deeply before silence reined

I could see looks of fear on the eyes of the lower ranking peerage members and even more on the ones in the Gremory peerage, it was by all means terrifying, these theories were not finalized but they were the most plausible ones to figure out, this did not mean we fully knew of his plans but roughly had an idea of what he might be planning... the list however kept growing

Malthus wasn't hard to predict but I'd be ignorant of me if I said that was all to it, it was easy to predict the many plans that Malthus could come up with but what he lacks in secrecy and mystery he makes up for in variability, it's hard to find _the needle_ in a bowl of needles after all

After a small while a whistle escaped issei Hyoudou's lips and it kinda sounded like, in a metaphorical stance, our chances of success dropping pathetically

"That's a problem if I've ever heard of one" he muttered with a sarcastic tone

"That's putting it lightly" replied the small white haired girl to his right

Rias as well as Sona sat by quietly for a moment. Processing the very level of danger we all currently faced

Sona started up first "I guess calling for help is truly out of the question" she said with a deep stressful sigh

"At that we agree" added Rias with an equal sigh before she looked at me, a begrudging expression on her face "what do you wish for us to do Isaac-san?" I shrugged at her question

"I can't truly predict Malthus' plans, however I'd like to take steps in keeping the present possibilities safe from happening, that being you two" I answered calmly all the while pointing a casual finger to the both of them "think of it as a simple failsafe or contingency but from here on out I'd highly recommend staying within the company of your strongest peerage members and never travel alone"

The two nodded curtly, eyes begrudging but otherwise resigned

"And what are your rolls?" asked Yuuto Kiba with narrowed eyes

I ignored his harsh tone with an easy answer "out of all of us my team holds the best chance of harming Malthus on a physical plain but we are also prime targets for him as well, we'll be doing the same thing as you except we'll be actively searching for Malthus"

"Seems to me you don't want us helping, huh?" replied the blonde

My eyes narrowed in confrontation "I don't believe we will make any progress with infighting, knight of Gremory and I'm fully aware of your anger towards my kind but I'm looking past it only because this situation is beyond the both of us" I replied with a natural expression "keep your personal problems at bay until we negate this possible war"

"Tsk..." the expression on Kiba's face grew more feral with my reply, he undoubtedly understood my words and agreed but his personal rage was keeping reason from his mind

Seeing as how her knight was on the ropes Rias pitched in with an eased tone "Kiba, that's enough... you are knight in service with me, do not dull yourself with your anger" Rias words rang quickly, forcing the blonde to glance back at her before back at me, a glare meeting my neutral one

The teen looked ready to say something but instead growled before turning and leaving the room, a deep scowl lay present on his distancing features

My team awkwardly sat by watching as the young blonde left, leaving a saddened Rias Gremory behind, the Gremory queen stood forward and bowed

"I'm sorry you had to see that" she said apologetically

"There's no need to" replied Dulio calmly

While that all settled I stared at the doors where Kiba Yuuto had left

His past was dark, dreadfully so, so much so that I myself understood his rage to an extent, our presents as well as the presents of the holy swords must've opened his past wounds greatly, reminding him of a past Rias Gremory was trying to help him leave behind, judging by her sadness I may have been right in that field

My somber thoughts were dropped when a hand placed a piece of paper on the table in front of me, looking up I spotted Rias looking down at me seriously

"This is where we battled him... I hope you can find something" she said seriously

Picking it up, I nodded up to her

"We'll be in touch" I muttered while placing a white card onto the table before looking to issei, a very small nod from me and in return I got the same gesture

A token of thanks for his compliance

**-XxXxXxX-**

**-Shopping district, east side of kouh city – listed location of previous confrontation with Malthus /2:03pm/ with Isaac and com.**

"_So you're saying the negotiations worked out just fine with the two devil houses?" _questioned the voice of Griselda as my team and myself walked through the busy shopping district

Brushing by a pedestrian I replied "Yes, all mistrust between us is cleared... though there was a close call..." I paused when a sharp elbow impacted my ribs courtesy of Irina "everything worked out in the end"

"_I see" _there was a small pause after Griselda muttered her reply before she shot back with a new question _"what are your plans now?"_

"Right now we are going to ground zero –"

"_Ground Zero?" _came a sharp interruption _"What do you mean ground zero?"_

I took a small intake of air as did the others who were all connected to the call via headset, "Malthus got here before we did" I replied bluntly "right now we're heading to the location the Gremory peerage encountered him"

"_You're kidding..." _Griselda questioned with a lack of energy

"Wish I was to be perfectly honest, however more problems are surfacing the closer we come to finding Malthus so the quicker we find him the better we are in avoiding a war... any options?"

"_I may have an idea" _piped Claire inquisitively

My left brow raised up "Shoot"

"_Alright, we all know what the devils do after a stray devil hunt correct?" _first the confirmation question... a little test of intelligence I guess

Irina nodded "They erase all evidence on both the supernatural plain as well as the normal physical plain"

"_You're correct Miss Shidou; the devils use multi-layered eradication spells to disperse high density energy signatures down to a molecular level, it's almost impossible to pick up however we so happen to have a device to find said dispersed particles – I just need you're exact location" _

"You mean activate our transponders?" asked Dulio calmly

"_Precisely - when you get there of course, this isn't going to be a constant scan for energy but more of a 'snapshot' of the area the encounter took place in – the rest is all supernatural science"_

"_Claire, activating there transponders will place them on the grid for all three sides, I don't really want to do that with them in the middle of devil territory, especially one that houses the little sister's of the Satan Lucifer and leviathan" _replied Griselda over comm's

"_I'll only need one of them activated, preferably one of the holy sword wielders... there energy levels are separate to the bond they have to the holy swords, and the transponder only recognises their personal divinity levels... normal humans only carry the supernatural equivalent of a light bulb so..." _Claire left her tone drag on as Irina and Xenovia's eyes shifted into their own personal expressions of either a down casted pout or a steeled glare

Nothing was replied for a small period of time as the four of us walked through the shopping district before the one we were heading towards came into view

The scary thing was... nobody was in that district, not a soul

Here's a little information on why I considered a dead shopping district scary... whenever there is a high concentration of demonic energy in one area every living creature feels a direct instinct to avoid it – explains the lack of people here as well - it's almost like the previous presents of Malthus had attracted every negative aspect in nature... including ghosts

Yup... I see dead people; it's a thing for us angels

There were a lot of dead people spanning from every age and sex along the district, standing and waiting

The thing about death is... it's a trip – kinda – whenever you die you enter a kind of 'loading screen' while the Reaper's finds your soul and delivers you – automatically – to which ever afterlife that effected you in your life time and depending on your actions you either go up, or down, it's systematic

It's a simple knowledge we angels all learn so to keep death from appearing evil and more essential in all life, human or supernatural, its common to see spirits but it's also rare to see so many in one place, usually reapers from all sorts of religious backgrounds would've taken them by now, even angels do it

However these souls were still here and tainted, corrupted

How can I tell? Well a pure soul usually glows a brilliant blue and forms the body it previously inhabited down to the very clothes he/she wore before dying while a corrupted soul doesn't glow and instead appears as the ghoul it once was

"Isaac!" barked Irina who forced me to jump in surprise "Come on!" she yelled again before running after the other two

I hadn't noticed the other's cross the street until now, with a shuddering breath I dropped my gaze from a zoned out ghost and followed towards the others

**-XxXxXxX-**

"So I take it this is the best spot?" asked Dulio, we were currently standing directly in the center of the shopping district and it was of course devoid of all 'life'

"_You guys there?" _Claire's voice rang over our comm's

"Yes, were here" replied Xenovia seriously

"_Good, activate your transponder—but only for a second" _Xenovia nodded before she unbuttoned her cloak to reveal her leotard and with that her silver crucifix was revealed as well

Grasping her cross with her thumb and index finger Xenovia lightly pressed on the silver ornament before a light, blue in color, flashed from the crosses center section, another light press and the light vanished

"_Alright, I have all of your positions on the screen, just give me a minute to run a scan on the district" _Claire's fleeting tone echoed distantly in our comm's before she went silent completely

Irina directed a small shrug to Dulio within the corner of my eye, I stood closest to the fountain while Xenovia did up her cloak and fell in line beside me

"So how are we going to find him?" questioned the blueberry beside me

I followed Irina's example with a shrug of my own "I honestly have no idea on that Xenovia" I answered evenly, she glanced over at me, a look of complete disbelief written on her expression

I shrugged again

"Don't look so surprised Xenovia, we all know he has a good head start on us" I replied with a raised brow

"Then humor me, what would our move be if we did find him? What would we do if we encountered Kokabiel? How would we react? How would –"

"Your over thinking things Xenovia" I interrupted both verbally and physically, a hand was laying on her shoulder freezing her words completely, all she did after was turn and stare at me "calm down, its best to think of the closest thing in front of you then what's ahead" I eased dismissively, a could feel Xenovia's muscles relax slowly

I sighed "Thoughts like that cause panic, and with panic follows' failure - remember to always remain in control of your emotions and never let your negative opinions dominate your control"

Xenovia glanced down for a moment before looking back at me "Griselda taught us that... did she teach you that?"

Actually I taught _her_ that...

"I do remember a lecture, yes" I muttered before I scratched my chin "I guess I do more then I myself realise"

Xenovia smirked genuinely at my words "if my senior was taught it, then I should consider the lesson as well" a small smirk developed on my lips before I patted her shoulder

"Alright then"

Our separate conversations were done when Claire's voice broke out over our comm's

"_Alright everyone, we have visual confirmation of demonic residue in your area" _reported the Vatican's strongest mind

"How far does the residue span from us?" I asked

There was a pause, mostly likely to gather a selected distance before Claire's voice sprung up again _"100 meters, I'm guessing the whole district was under siege by this strays assault – must've been one hell of a fight to cover up that much distance"_

Dulio let out a grunted chuckle "Well according to the local devils, Malthus had a few 'henchmen' to help with his little attack" he said sarcastically

"_What kind of help? Fallen angels?"_ this time it was Griselda whom asked the questions

"No" Irina shook her head before giving me a weary glance "senpai classified them as ghouls descended from demonic plague, more infectious and highly volatile"

"_Is there anything else these Gremory's encountered besides an ancient malevolent force?" _ The sarcasm in her tone was evident as the morning sun

I cocked my head and smirked "well they did battle a heavily mutated stray devil, one that was supposedly merged with a sacred gear" a deep sigh echoed through our headsets

"_And how _exactly _did they survive? It sounds to me Malthus had pulled a lot of strings to box them in like that, for them to just up and walk outta there with only bumps, scrapes and bruises makes me question them heavily" _barked Griselda, heavy skepticism present

"Well whatever the case is, we're lucky it came to that" I said with finality "now, what do you think our next move should be?"

"_*sigh* we don't have any special treatment for demons so I'd say stick to the basic's" _Griselda paused as the sound of paper being moved around filled my ears _"I have multiple potential safe zones for freaks like him, hit them and maybe we'll find a lead" _

I nodded before giving Dulio as well as the others a glance, they nodded "Ok, we'll contact you if any updates or problems rise up, in the mean time... get some sleep" before there was any gruff from the other side I disconnected the comm's entirely

Griselda hated it when I did that, but she needed some shut eye

It's best she gets it now before the storm hits

**-XxXxXxX-**

**-With Rias &amp; Sona/ 10 minutes after meeting with the Vatican's best/ kouh academy: occult research club room- **

Rias stood at a brisk attention; her eyes were narrowed as she stared out her club room's window, arms calmly folded under her bust

"Like I stated before, I'm at a lose" a dumbfounded Sona waved her arms up in the air lazily

Akeno stood to the right of the large oak desk while Tsubaki stood behind her master whom was sitting on the larger couch, Asia sat down on the couch eyes lost in thought, not at all invested into the conversation

"We don't have much of a choice in the matter Sona" started Rias, she glanced back to her long time friend "you know that"

Sona fixed her glasses, a habit for when stress got the better of her and for once in her life she could truly admit her stress, not openly, but she was aware of the impending white hair in her future

"That's what I'm getting at, not only did we have four powerful church members at our door but instead of preach on about their nobility and our heresy they up and practically water board us with allied intentions and hugs and kisses" replied Sona, her tone was dumbfounded and shocked but her expression remained almost neutral

Rias nodded, eyes going back to the view of the city "I'm fully aware of it Sona, I'm even aware of the two 'triple S' class exorcists at our door as well, however our new friends are not what keep me vigilant – rather our mutual assassin"

Sona nodded "then I suggest getting away from the window" Rias glanced back at her then back outside, she shook her head

"I'm not Turing into a hermit Sona, that's the last thing I'll ever do"

Sona crossed her arms will her eyes narrowed at her friend's response "It's a better alternative to dead Rias"

For a moment Rias stood by the window, the red head was for the most part pondering her friends level of caution to everything, never had she seen nor heard her friend sound so terrified in her life, an understandable case due to the situation they all found themselves in but to truly see even a fraction of paranoia within Sona was new

Rias sighed, for what could be the millionth time that day, Sona was a serious one and at times seemed more mature then what you'd expect at the age of 18 but she was still, in the larger picture, a child

Just so Sona would relax, Rias stepped away from the window and sat down on the couch across from her, to add to the action Rias smiled up at her friend "you happy now?" she asked with a small teasing smirk

"Humph, I wouldn't play this off as some kind of joke Rias; we are both in danger here –"

"And right now Sona I currently I have one of my own walking the streets alone and emotionally compromised, sitting back and relaxing when a highly dangerous force stalks my streets is not on my bucket list, my first order of business is to find him and bring him home" Rias' tone changed from calm to slightly more serious "until that happens and all my peerage members are accounted for then I have every right to worry"

Sona sat by and stared at her friend, her eyes traced Rias' unshaken eyes quizzically "I must ask Rias, when in Lucifer's name did you become so selfless?"

The unexpected question from Sona caused Rias to tilt her head; a commercially confused expression replacing her serious one "it's the Gremory way to treat their servants with respect and compassion, unlike most we tolerate and house our servant's like family" Rias' matter-of-fact tone only caused Sona to shake her head

"That only goes so far, a true servants duty is the preservation of their king and master, if at all possible the king has to work to make sure that doesn't happen but not all plans work out in the end... sacrifice is necessary" Sona's reasoning was equally met with a shake of Rias' head

"That is where our opinions differ from each other" replied the red head "I will not leave my allies behind when they had trained their asses off to fight a battle I had asked for"

"That battle with the Phenex third son was acceptable Rias; you did not deserve to spend the rest of your life as his bed mate, fighting the marriage was expected"

Rias looked down to her hands "even so, I was selfish in my wish Sona; I forced my peerage to battle a force far greater than them all because I refused my own responsibilities"

Sona eyed her friend with a rare smirk "I see... you feel obligated to repay them"

"They fought for my freedom Sona" Rias stared at her friend, eyes steeled with resolve "I owe them all a great debt"

Sona's smirk turned into a larger smile as did Akeno whom was listening to the conversation intently "then I guess the reason hyoudou and Koneko are absent is because they were sent to find your servant"

"I didn't send them, they went in my place... as much as I insisted I go they didn't hear me" Sona released a small chuckle at the answer Rias gave her

"And here I thought I knew the definition of loyalty..." muttered Sona

Rias smiled at her friend's response but didn't say anything, she made her point and Sona was aware of her opinion on loyalty, she couldn't have milked that moment better

Sure the feelings were slightly overdramatic, it still was genuine and Sona needed genuine opinions to open her eyes sometimes, it frustrated her sometimes to see and hear of the opinions of other devil heir's, some didn't even acknowledge their peerage members and some quiet literally considered them pawns, though Sona cared for her peerage it wasn't fully accepted by the red head

It was sickening and Rias believed those who do that don't deserve loyalty at all

Sona sat by with a mulling expression before she suddenly leaned forward "How are you tracking them?"

"I'm currently having Akeno track them, she's more in tuned with it then I am and well... she has some free time" the last part forced the raven haired girl behind them to look up and smile kindly

"What can I say, paper work is surprisingly lacking these last few days" replied Akeno, the comment was emphasized by the hand on her cheek

Sona remained stoic while Rias released a responding chuckle in return "what's their location?"

Akeno returned another smile "their currently skimming through the shopping district" Akeno paused before titling her head "who knows, maybe issei will take Koneko on a date"

The comment caused Tsubaki to develop a shade of pink while Sona deadpanned, Rias' eyes narrowed at the implication of her queens words while Asia (whom became more open to listening) titled her head at the word 'date'

"Akeno, I doubt Koneko would allow that" replied the narrowed eyed Gremory

"Ara, ara, is someone getting defensive?" teased Akeno, not at all caring of the look she was getting

Sona released a cough "I must take my leave" Sona stood to her full height before bowing to Rias

"Take care of yourself, Rias" she said professionally

Rias smiled before waving lazily "you to Sona... stay vigilant"

Before Sona left along with her queen she glanced back and smiled "I will but in the mean time, take your own advice"

When the two Sitri devils left Rias stopped her waving and dropped her hand and released yet another sigh

"Rough day buchou?" asked Asia politely

Rias pursed her lips before scratching her lower lip "not rough, surprising" she replied

Asia smiled and sat back into the couch

Rias sat there before she worded a question she had refrained from asking for a while "Asia?"

The girl in questioned turned to her and hummed in question

"Is it true that you once knew Isaac-san back when you were in the church?" questioned the curious red head

Asia sat there with a look before she nodded slowly "yes, why do you ask?"

Rias leaned forward in her seat, getting closer to Asia in the process "To me, that man is an enigma, no alias and no place of birth, no record nor is there any solid leads that detail any of his accomplishments, he's literally a ghost... so can you help me shed some light onto our mutual friend?"

"Why not ask him?"

Rias smiled but shook her head "I'm a stranger to him, an ally yes but still a stranger, if I simply ask about his past I'll be intruding on personal ground as well as professional grounds, I just want to know what kind of man he is"

When Rias stopped talking Akeno looked up to them, interested in the new conversation

"Well... I've never seen him fight if that's what you want to know, I saw him fight father Sellzen but nothing else" Rias shook her head

"Nobody gets triple S rank with minor skills" muttered Rias "I'm not that interested in his power, I just want to know what kind of man he is, his likes – dislikes, hobbies, real age, anything"

Akeno cocked an eye brow at Rias' train of questions "Ara ara, Rias I didn't know you liked forbidden love?" asked the teasing devil

Rias cocked her head to the devil, zero visible blushes on her face "I'm being serious here Akeno, and no I do _not _even remotely feel that for a total stranger"

Akeno nodded, her eyes still gleaming with intent to tease "Right I forgot... you like issei"

Now there was a blush on her cheeks, there was some on Asia's as well

"Oh my" Akeno paused to hide her giggle "both of you?"

Though there was a blush on her cheeks Rias simply glared at Akeno whom placed a hand on her cheek and smiled "such passionate eyes Rias..."

"Akeno..."

"Alright, alright I'll stop"

With her 'job' done Akeno turned back to the holographic screen and returned to observing her juniors

Thanks to Akeno's teasing it took a good minute to let Asia's blush to wear off, a friendly reminder on the topic and they were back on track

"So, do you have anything you might want to tell me?" questioned Rias

Asia sat and mulled over the topic, she had spent time with Isaac but 'time' was stretching it, to sum up the total time she had with him, it'd add up to about haft a week's length. During those times they were either waiting periods or car rides as he'd be the head 'security' escort, not by authority but rather power level, if any threat came along that the others couldn't handle then he'd take the stand as the last resort, but in all of their time they had only been attacked maybe twice? But every time it was so subtle and quick the problem would be over before she was aware of the danger

During those small car rides they'd socialize, he'd ask questions, she'd answer and vice versa. For a total of a year on rare occasions he'd be her escort for long trips while most of the time he'd be out on a mission

"...at times we would pass each other in the cathedral and sometimes I'd find him in the park, attending and socializing with orphans, I don't really know much of his hobbies but I'd say he's a very caring person" Asia stopped for a moment to try and remember but she simply let it be, leaving the silence as a means to end her story

Rias breathed in calmly as she sat on the couch before she leaned forward again, a thoughtful gaze in her eyes as she downloaded the information Asia had given her "thank you Asia" she said graciously

Asia smirked, an adorable giggle following "don't mention it, to put my own thought in the matter I'd say we're far safer with him here then without him"

Rias looked up at Asia's final comment and gave her an expecting expression to 'explain'

The young blonde smiled again "he's the kind of man that despises the idea of innocents being involved with dangerous matters, whenever I was under his protection nothing ever happened and he'd make sure of it"

"You're saying we're safe then? With him here" Asia nodded at her

"I bet even if the higher ups requested him to leave you all behind, he'd be the first to say 'no' and ignore orders" upon wording that comment Asia place a finger on her cheek and looked off to the side "I remember he told off his superior before escorting me, I don't remember what he said but he wouldn't leave me alone when his job was to protect me"

Rias blinked as did Akeno, the words she had said could be blind commemoration to a past idol but they couldn't mistaken the genuine words Asia had for the enigma that was 'the Paladin of the Vatican'... they didn't know Isaac but they did know that Asia never had a true genuine opinion on someone unless they truly earned it to which Isaac must've at some point in their limited past

Asia sat there, the rehashing of the positive side of her past left her in a perpetual state of bliss and happiness while Rias and Akeno glance to each other

Rias was placing the pieces together, when they first met him he lacked any form of arrogance or narcissism towards any of her peerage members, though he did appear cocky at first with his little 'advice' to her about proper protection skills, she knew full well it was in the right taste, as pride damaging as it was

Then came the second encounter they had, priests and especially exorcists _do not _get along very well with devils, though blood is never shed it was only a hairs breath away from happening and at times it has happened but when he met them, nothing of the sort happened, just a care free exorcists with his own agenda sorted out

Nothing malicious, no danger... unless her knight snapped

But aside from the possible pouter keg she had for a knight, Isaac never showed any hostile intent; he didn't even show his weapon to them, not even once!

She had no idea what weapon he used until issei explained to her his weapon of choice was a modified katana

So for every time they had spoken with him, he had been purposely unarmed and uncaring to difference in faction

From the very beginning, he was never their enemy

'_Then I have nothing to fear from him' _mused Rias internally

She had resigned to believe the words of her new bishop, how could she not? Asia was the most honest girl she knew by far, if she said he was a kind hearted person uncaring to faction differences then he was

She didn't trust Isaac, Rias only trusted her friend's judgment

After her thoughts concluded Rias eyed the card on the coffee table before her, it wasn't a heavily designed card only designed with a bright white color dominating the majority with a large golden cross directly in the middle, if she looked at the card in the right angle to a light source she could make out contact information in gold text – that only being a call-sign, which was 'Paladin' and a phone number

The platinum haired exorcist had placed that there before they took their leave, saying it was a way to contact him specifically if the need for him arrived. Rias didn't really find herself hesitant in the idea of calling for his help, during the 'crimson week', many of the things she had used to train her peerage and herself was from many human military training services and sources throughout the internet, some lies, some quiet possibly true but it was the lessons she learnt from other sources and forums that opened her eyes to many things she had not considered... namely?

Pride on the battle field gets people killed

Simple a phrase as any, she subconsciously felt displeased in calling for help but it was more smart to call for help then to stomp her feet and whine about it, this situation they were in was not to free her from a horrible future but rather to make sure she had one and she'd use all sources to make sure that would happen

Rias sighed again before she picked up the card and got up from her spot on the couch, she eyed the card for a second, eyes dancing over the fancy golden words on the card before she huffed lightly and stuffed the card into her breast pocket

"_When the need Rise's" _

**-XxXxXxX-  
-With Isaac and shopping district: north side of kouh city/ 3:30pm Monday-**

Our luck in finding any possible hide outs for our 'friendly' neighborhood demon was fruitless, out of all of the locations listed to us by our handler and tech expert led us only to five possible 'hotspots' and 4 out of the five lead us to empty warehouses and buildings, the last led us to a small drug deal between two low life junkies... one that was vehemently disrupted by a pissed off Irina and Xenovia

But aside from seeing two young women chase two extremely high adults out of the city nothing truly productive happened, neither me nor Dulio picked up traces of demonic presents or stray ghouls

Rias Gremory had informed us of a possible ghoul resistance in the city but I doubted it, ghouls from any faction demon or not _hate _sunlight and we had been to the five most dark and dank locations this city could offer, if they weren't there then their BBQ somewhere on the streets

It was late spring in Japan... it was 'warm', way to warm for a decaying corpse

So no ghouls, I'd inform her that now but -

***GRUMBLE***

\- my junior's stomachs had told me they needed food and when that happened I think Dulio wanted to vanish but wisely didn't, instead he worded their lack of food and whisked off in the lead towards the nearest shopping district preferably the more fancy ones

"Wait..." halted Dulio who turned to me "have any suggestions?" he asked

I reeled back a second at his rather quick tone before I looked over his shoulder "Is there a park anywhere close to here, 'bout the sizes of dog park – large fountain, lots of trees" when I finished my description Irina lit up

"It should be a couple blocks from here, Sakura Park I believe it was called" she said with a wide smile, Xenovia commercially leaned away from her in case she'd catch the joy bug

"Then it's pretty close, come on" when I finished and started to walk towards where I think it was while Dulio fell in line beside me

"Diner or cafe'?" he asked, when it came to food and Dulio, excitement wasn't far off

I raised a brow at him before I scratched my chin "I think it was a cafe' but I remember seeing a dinner menu as well" Dulio looked ready to fist pump at my answer enticing me to smile

Yeah he really loved food

While we walked towards the diner/cafe' I took in the sights to make out a landmark, remember, back then I simply dropped in to fill the empty stomach. I didn't actively look for the cafe' in taste but rather got lucky... better then stepping into a lingerie store

Aside from random questions about food cosine and random memory splurges from both Dulio and Irina I felt more akin to walking along side the quiet Xenovia while the other two talked amongst themselves

"Do you have any stories to share with the class Xenovia?" I asked commercially, eyes deadpanned at the two in front of us

She let out a small knowing laugh but remained quiet none the less

I left it silent for a moment before I sprouted another question "how's it going with Durandal?" I asked suddenly

Xenovia didn't budge at the sudden question and instead sighed "Tough... I can't hold it for more than a haft hour before my hand starts to go numb"

"You expect a fight to last that long?" I asked calmly enticing her to look up to me

"To what I use it against, yes"

I smirked evenly "you don't have to Xenovia, the more you use it the better you'll get with it"

She nodded "I'm sure that's true but what do expect I do with this?" she asked before jabbing a finger to the large cloth behind her "give it back to the church?"

The corner of my lips rose at her answer or better yet 'excuses' "you can take my advice if you want Xenovia but aren't you training in dual wielding two large swords? You have natural holy sword talent as well as the... blessing, to help amplify your physical power, why not try that?"

Xenovia pondered that for a moment before she nodded calmly "I'll try it but I haven't perfected it"

"That's good enough for me..." I replied with an essence of finality, Xenovia was a perfect holy sword wielder, one of the only few present in the church currently and if there was one thing me and Griselda wished for her was her mastery of that weapon, she was perfectly aware of its status as being on par with the original Excalibur – as small a difference as it was – stood a chance to make her one of the greatest swordswomen to ever live

I may sound a little over-the-top but it's possible... she just needed to try

"Where here" I stated as I patted Xenovia on the head before I called out to Irina and Dulio – who had walked past the diner – to follow me

There are times I find myself as the sort of 'parent' in ops like these, I have at times teamed up with other members of my division both either older or younger then myself but 90% of the time their usually young in a sense to my real age, sometimes on a childish level

Never ceases to amaze me just as much as it annoyed me

After this op I felt like Dulio and Irina were considered BFF's by how much they hit off so well (don't ask me how I knew what that acronym meant), while me and Xenovia sat opposite of the childish duo in our window seat we couldn't really keep our deadpanned expressions to ourselves

This was countered by Dulio and Irina grinning at us in retaliation, something that sort of entertained our waitress whom chuckled/giggled at our expression war

"I see you brought some friends with you this time" voiced the blonde maid

My eyes trailed to the rather familiar waitress and when it hit me I smiled, it was the same maid from the first time I 'visited' kouh city, blonde hair, and kind energetic eyes and... For the more 'curious' humans, she was rather well 'built' in the physical department

The blonde noticed my stares and replied by smiling, adding in a wave for emphasis

"Nice to see you again" she said kindly

"Y-yeah, nice to see you again" I replied with a stutter _'what are the chances?' _I asked internally

The blonde girl hummed cutely before she looked to the three others "Now what can I get the four of you? Drinks? Or straight to the punch?"

As the others gave their orders I was studying the women closely, there was no way this was one of those 'million in one chances' I was experiencing way to many of those lately, not to mention the women felt extremely familiar

Way to familiar, back when I was here my mind was, for lack of a better term, preoccupied with my own job but since I was soloing that op it was expected of me to be more 'involved' then now, but now I wasn't at all involved as I was before and had a better chance in noticing the blonde maids interest in me

When she took our orders she smiled and left to do her job while the others stopped and looked to me expecting an explanation. First it was Yasaka and her infinite flirting and now it was the 'hot blond' maid with a coy act

I sighed deeply before I dropped my head "what do you want to know?" I asked without looking at them

"How do you know her?" asked a narrowed eyed Irina

"She took my order the last time I was here, about a week ago"

"Why does she seem so interested in you?" asked the ever observant Xenovia

I humored her by leaning back in my chair and eyeing the two ladies with a confident smile "I'm a young man in his prime with a moderate or above average physic - to put it simply, my training has made me a desirable young man for the opposite sex, and I can admit I do look kinda good at times" with my quick witted and blunt reply Irina and Xenovia grew blushes, no doubt aware of the truth in my words

If anyone asked Griselda about my time as her partner and what bothered her most she'd probably answer with my lack of thought in engaging targets, _then_ she'd talk about my many secret 'admirer's' I'd get almost any time we had a informant or contract of the opposite sex, and there were times I had even _males_ see me in lecherous ways

Good and awkward times it was

"Now if you'd excuse me, I need to wash my hands" I muttered before I got up and walked to the bathroom leaving Dulio to giggle at the two's blushing faces

Pushing the door open I sighed "when can I ever get a break?" I asked while I took my white gloves off and began to wash my hands "first it was Yasaka and now a maid, what's next, a shy teacher?" I grumbled while cleaning my hands

When I was done I glanced up into the mirror in front of me and squinted my eyes in confusion, the mirror in front of me was fogged up from condensation for whatever reason so I couldn't see my own reflection, with a swipe of my hands and my face could be seen in the mirror

I dropped my shoulders at the tired face that greeted me and sighed, due to the past couple days my fatigue has been at an all time high and it showed in my physical appearance, my hair was not stylized as It was before and it remained down and messy, not at all up and spiked like usual... never had the time to fix it but it didn't really bother me, maybe a shower could help?

With a shrug I rubbed my face; I could feel a 5 o'clock shadow creeping up on my cheeks and chin as I yawned, I was running low on fumes, though I had a good night's sleep the day before I still only got a good 4-3 hour sleep last night which wasn't good for a guy currently recuperating from a consecutive five day work week

"I think I should follow Dulio's example and take some shut eye when I can" I muttered calmly, the fatigue returning with the vengeance, a good slap of water to the face and I was wide awake again

Cleaning the liquid off my face I glanced back into the mirror, instead of grumbling at the sad face that greeted me my eyes widened at who I saw instead

The person who stood behind me was quiet tall as _she _stood to the height of 5' 11" almost breaching six feet; gold/white armor decorated her form which covered her legs like thigh highs and her arms like sleeves which ended in fingerless gloves, her torso armor didn't warrant protection and instead it focused on manoeuvrability, leaving a good portion of her mid section exposed while her ribs and chest were protected, to finish a large white cape cascaded down from underneath the small pauldrons on her shoulders, which was rimmed by golden fur, any exposed skin was covered by a black under armor that was form fitted

"Now I know why that maid was so familiar, it was you all along wasn't it Gab—gah!" I started while turning around, well I tried to speak, while I was trying to play it cool the women couldn't and within nanoseconds my ribs were being crushed in a powerful hug

"~It's so nice to see you Isaciel~" gushed the women who was none other than Gabriel, the second archangel and seraph of heaven

"Gahk!" the only thing I could really release was a pained – whatever that was, due to the massive strength within Gabriel's arms as she practically bear hugged me

I had no choice but to erect a barrier around the restroom while the women unloaded her greetings into me "~It's been way to long~" she said, kind energy flowing into the room like a title wave

After grasping my bearings I stood there, barely keeping myself from being pressed against the sink behind me before I dropped my arms around the archangel and returned the hug with less force then herself

"It's nice to see you to Gabriel" I said, in small congested pain "It's been what? 40 years?"

The women giggled sweetly before she let go of the grip and held me within a regular hug, though it was a weaker grip I was still not able to gain any distance from her and remained within a comfortable grasp

The women didn't say anything and continued to eye me with her bright green eyes filled with curiosity "My, you have grown" she stated with her normal tone "you've even toned up since last time..." she add before she poked my chest "indeed you have..."

As if commercially, the powerful angel continued to list off my physical status changes to herself while poking and prodding me in any noticeable muscular area, I on the other hand stood there and watched her, eyes dancing with old emotions

The thing about Gabriel was, she had a knack for noticing even the slightest change in emotions, sure angels had that normally, she just – knew. With a soft hum Gabriel embraced me again but without the fervor before and held me gently "You've missed me too, haven't you?" she asked, her voice more mature and caring...180 degree personality swap

All I could really do was nod in her grasp, my head resting against the crook of her neck

"~heheh, I knew it~" gushed the curly blonde "You always were a momma's boy"

While I was silently enjoying the cushy reunion my eyes grew commercially dull at her tone "You always know how to ruin the mood Gabriel..." I muttered into her neck

She kept her smile and cocked her head to the side "Oh? Who said I ruined it? If I think about it I may have just kept you from crying –"

"Ok that's enough" I laughed lightly while leaving the close embrace "you can stop the teasing anytime now Gabriel" I added with a fake gloomy expression an expression that caused Gabriel to laugh suddenly

Upon hearing her laugh my smile replaced my fake gloom, believe me, if you heard her laugh you'd understand the saying 'voice of an angel' and it was quiet literal here, her laugh was beautiful

"It's been too long" she stated after laughing

I followed her words with a nod "It has been... how are you holding up?" I asked with a gentle smile

"I'm doing just fine Isac, I'm glad to see you're as personable as I remember" she replied with a flamboyant yet mature smile

I bowed lightly "I aim to please" I gestured politely

Gabriel's beaming expression widened slightly before she placed her hands on my shoulder "now, what brings you to my little cafe' here in Japan?" I glanced up at her with slight confusion while she titled her head in counter confusion "this is your cafe'?"

She lightly hummed in disagreement "no, but I've taken a liking to it, it's nice and tranquil of sorts" the women paused to hold a small laugh back "and besides, I've managed to run into you two times already"

The corner of my lips rose slightly before I jabbed my thumb behind me "you can thank Dulio Gesualdo for that, he's the food nut" I joked which caused Gabriel to smile/laugh lightly

"I'll be sure to thank him sometime then" she said, resigning to do so later but then she looked up to me inquisitively "by the way, if I may ask, what are you doing back at kouh city?" she asked

Her sudden question brought back the current events me and my squad were currently facing, I had been so involved with speaking to my old sword master that I had lost my train of thought completely; it was hard not to think about my reunion with the women before me.

I coughed lightly in my hand "me and my unit are currently hunting a stray demon, his names Malthus – you know of him?" I questioned bluntly and it was answered with a somber expression on my master's face, of course she knew

"Yes" she started with a nod "yes, I'm aware of the demons freedom"

I nodded and stepped forward slightly, almost physically showing my pressing question "what's the state of heaven Gabriel? Who freed Malthus?"

When I asked about the status of heaven Gabriel's kind exterior was replaced with a more seldom one and her eyes dimmed just a tad bit

"Not good... I can safely say things are more hectic then they have been in centuries" like a sad puppy Gabriel dropped her gaze to stare at the dripping tap behind me

"What caused the demon to walk free?" I pressed seriously, Gabriel sighed before she turned and walked to the other side of the restroom her golden high heeled boots clicking against the polished floor.

"The Ouroboros dragon..." she said simply while her gaze was facing away from me

I could feel my hands almost crush the sink counter with the following knowledge Gabriel had given me, the Ouroboros dragon was one the most dangerous dragon to our knowledge, she basically represents infinite. To know she was the one to free the mad demon Malthus caused my blood to both boil and freeze

Why would a being who couldn't carless about anything other than itself free a demon? Better yet, why?

My hands clenched, no doubt cracking the counter behind me "why would that _thing_ free a demon, for what purpose does it have to involve itself with our business?" I asked, trying to contain my rise in negative emotions

"Isac... please calm yourself" scolded Gabriel with a slightly sad eyes "rage is unbecoming of you Isac; I've taught you that much haven't I?" I could feel a small semblance of guilt enrapture me at my lack of control

"Yes, forgive me Gabriel" Gabriel shook her head calmly before I eased my grip on the counter behind me "I've just been, tired as of lately... and my mind is - clouded"

Then her mood changed suddenly, her glooming expression morphed, what remained of her previous expression stood a more contempt expression "staying up and working for five days does that to you, you should probably sleep more, you may even look more presentable next time" she teased while skimming over my pathetic appearance, I did look pretty sloppy right now

"Yeah and I was suppose to predict the sudden meeting of my former swords master right? Last time I checked you never really taught me to look _that_ far ahead" I replied with a neutral expression

"~aw, _Former _swords master? ~ You wound me with your words Isaciel, and here I thought you always had something to learn from me..." gushed the heart broken archangel who closed the distance rather quickly, and before I knew it I was being hugged again

"Gah!" I wheezed before my face was slammed directly into my master's chest

"~But don't you worry Isac, I have a whole new set of skills just waiting for you to learn!~" squealed the childish seraphim as she remained unaware of my faces current location and I could thoroughly say the mood was lightened up thanks to her childish behaviour

For the first time in a _really _long time I felt my face heat up in embarrassment due to the place my face was located – and I meant full on cherry blush not the regular embarrassed ones – while my sword master remained uncaring to my invasion to her bubble space, but I remembered a lesson I learnt awhile ago when I was younger and more 'naive' and that was to never fight a hug given to you by a seraphim, though any normal human man would retort with heavy amounts of anger at the idea of 'fighting' a hug from a women like her I was still heavily agreeing with the lesson, her grip was powerful

I guess I just counted my chickens and paid the piper – with a shite eating grin on my face and a contempt thought that went like this: thank god angels don't need actual oxygen or I've had suffocated by now.

While the rather nostalgic moment took hold on my concept of time my mind delved into a few old memories, back when I hadn't infiltrated the Vatican I was under direct command of the seraphim Gabriel due to reasons I myself don't currently know to the fullest, but I never really did think much into it since it was a massive honor to be trained directly from an archangel whose power and skill herald from ancient times, that being even before the demons excited

Aside from their age and power the seraphim were more of a Sheppard to us lower angels - well I really wouldn't say 'lower' since there really isn't a semblance of rank in heaven other then the four great angels and in total the 9 seraphs as well whom acted as the replacement of our deceased creator, but that aside only a few in history bore the honor of training under an archangel let alone hold a relationship with one, like I currently had

My relationship with the powerful angel was to me... confusing, and I can't really state the current status of it either, I hadn't seen her in 40 years! I had fully expected her to have moved on by now but her being here and not in heaven made me rethink that, then following her previous comment I guess she really didn't move on, and before you all start wondering if things were intimate I'm gonna stop you there– Wait –... my heads currently in her bust, never mind, it is _quiet_ intimate

"_Gabriel... can you let... go?" _I muffled into her chest, the constant feeling of two comfy cushions on the sides of my head were invading my mind in a perverse manner, its best to not think of _that_ while in an embrace with an important person in my life especially one whom held a higher rank then my own

"Huh? Oh!" in childish manner Gabriel released me from her hold which allowed me to breath in some air, I know we didn't need it but it was still refreshing

While the archangel stood a few feet from me I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes, our relationship involved a lot of hugs as far as I know, some voluntary and some involuntary and the latter I usually needed to calm myself and my mind in order to focus again

As normal as it was for angels to experience _those feelings_ for another I always kept those from the obviously attractive women in front of me to myself

And yes, angels do feel _that urge_

"Still as innocent as the day you left my side" muttered Gabriel, a smile dancing on her lips

It's not that I could see the smile, I just knew she had it before I even opened my eyes "ha ha, I'll have you know I'm not as innocent as the child you once knew" I stated matter of factly while Gabriel crossed her arms

"Perhaps..." she agreed with a nod "however when I look at you, I still see you as the young hot headed teen from long ago" before I said anything Gabriel halted my retort by tilting her head and eyeing me with a 'try me' expression before seeing me relent "Thought so" she added, knowing she had won that argument even before it started

I grumbled at her almost motherly actions before growling out my second retort "I'm not as hot headed as I was 40 years ago Gabriel, I _have_ grown" I countered but I got a coy smile in return

"You have, have you?" crap, I know where this I going "well if you weren't so hot headed then perhaps that battle you had with Malthus wouldn't have ended the way it did" she stated scoldingly, making my eyes narrow

"I should have known you'd find that out" I deadpanned causing Gabriel to smirk at my words before she spoke again

"Of course I would know, I _have_ been watching over you all these years" she added with a sheepish smile, completely believing that comment should be common sense

I smirked at her words but I returned to a serious stand point "Even so, I'm fully aware of my mistake, battling Malthus with human level power was a unwise choice, it won't happen again" I finalized, eyes full of determination, Gabriel's smiled brightly "I'm sure you will" she muttered quietly.

For a moment I looked at Gabriel and a question appeared in my head "so what's up with the maid disguise?" I asked which caused the blonde to blink before laughing it off lightly

"I needed a disguise so to keep the eyes of the devils here off of me" she replied flippantly but my eyes didn't believe that was all it was "I feel that isn't all to that little disguise of yours" I said with a knowing smirk

She smiled back with equally knowing eyes, while brushing a strand of her curly blonde hair to the side "isn't it obvious by now? I'm here doing the same thing you're doing, hunting a relic of the old war" she answered and my eyes for the love of me, widened again

"Really? So you're telling me Malthus was already here?" my shocked question was answered by a curt nod "I followed his trail from heaven while you followed his trail from st. Paul, leading the both of us here"

Feeling a small lump in my throat I swallowed my suspicions and worded them "we're the fallen that were attacking here a few weeks ago involved in this?" I asked with a growing suspicion, my shoulders fell when Gabriel nodded slowly

"They were probably under orders from Kokabiel to stir up trouble for his planned alliance with Malthus, maybe it was a recon unit? I was going to get rid of them but you helped me out with that" theorized the seraph with a small glance to me in thanks

I nodded before I picked up an air of agreement "even so, the fallen I hunted acted out of the norm – I guess now if I think about it, it was probably to disconnect their intentions from the fallen organizations, and lead any would-be attackers to think they were just thinking for themselves" then my eyes widened slightly which caused the female seraph to eye me closely "now I understand" I muttered before my eyes followed back to Gabriel's "those fallen who were led by Raynare were a unit designed to thin out the devil ranks, I guess that explains why they were always trying to kill that hyoudou boy when I was here, since he did wield a highly potent sacred gear I'm guessing Kokabiel was trying to take him out first" I explained which caused Gabriel to nod slightly

"And how would you know that?" she asked with a testing tone, she believed me but she always wanted me to fully explain myself, like any teacher would

"I would know this because I myself would have done that" I added causing Gabriel's eyes to shift slightly at the implication of my words, assassination "as bad as it sounds I can understand its effectiveness, taking out the one with the most potential but little experience can cause major disruption in ones ranks and cause minor setbacks for a group, and the hyoudou boy does wield the boosted gear, if he had died then the Gremory's would have lost a major advantage" Gabriel nodded through and through with my information but never the less looked slightly saddened

"That's a good way at looking at it Isac, from a tactical point of view I'm sure even Malthus would've used it, which makes it all the more plausible" riposted Gabriel, eyes gaining their usual light again

"Thank you Gabriel" I thanked with kind energy before I sighed softly at my mistake, Gabriel wasn't one for violence, she was more of a woman who sees to negotiating out of a fight then to fight it out, though demons don't usually get that treatment it's only exclusive to the purifiable, I guess me speaking easily about assassination tactics must've caused some pain

While the room was silent I brought up a subject changer, not as well but it focused less on the angel with a more close experience to the darker aspects of life "Not to be rude but I can't see you being Malthus' would be assailant, are you still going to hunt him?" I asked evenly

All the beautiful women did was smile with a fraction of sadness, but it was steeled behind years of combat training "if the need arises I will do what I must" she said with an Offaly tranquil air to her more than icy cold words "he has harmed and killed many innocent people, some of those have sworn loyalty to our cause through faith, Malthus' sentence is absolute"

I sighed deeply at her cold tone, sure it was hidden behind a kind smile and voice but that was only because Gabriel never had a _frown_ to begin with, it's either loving or happy, but make her mad and its tranquil fury from point A to point B

With a small shuddering breath I asked a question I was mulling over for a while, so to make the moment less terrifying "how are you keeping your presents here quiet? A woman with your power level should be easily noticed by the four Satan's" I asked

Gabriel simply shrugged, following the change in subject with no hesitation "when the prison in heaven was attacked and Malthus was set free my brother created this..." she started before she pulled a crucifix from under her chest armor, it looked much more pristine and seemed to radiate a level of power I couldn't distinguish "...to keep the presents of a powerful angel under cover so I could hunt him down" Gabriel suddenly placed a finger on her lips and picked up a troubled expression "though it severely divides the power of the wielder, I don't believe facing Malthus with this is a desirable choice" tucking the jewel back into her armor Gabriel seemed to huff cutely at it "troublesome..." she muttered

"I didn't think so either" I said in agreement

"Speaking of which, I have something to tell you" with a small amount of effort Gabriel pushed off the restroom door and walked up to me "I have discussed matters with my brothers on the subject of you current 'state'"

I eyed her with interest while I leaned back against the wall behind me "and what did they say?"

She clicked her tongue softly "I had brought up the idea of giving you clearance for your divinity release, and I was glad to see they were in agreement, unlike us, you hold enough potential to face him and win, discreetly that is" informed the archangel while my eyes locked onto her now smiling face

"T-thanks" I worded simply a soft stutter hindering my speech, my old self would have accepted the exalted praise and dropped to a knee so hard the ground would've crack, a massive compliment like that from a seraph was a grand gesture to ones skills and growth, but I had no actual words to express my gratitude

Gabriel giggled at my human response "don't mention it Isac, you've grown much more powerful during your time away and you will grow even more... I hope to help further your skills personally" when I fully processed her words I could feel a warm feeling grow within me before I felt a soft set of lips connect with my forehead leaving me dumbstruck "I'll leave the heavy lifting in your hands, Isaciel" whispered the seraphim directly into my ear

When those words stopped echoing in my ear I could feel Gabriel's presents vanish completely along with a second source of energy the only thing that I heard was the soft flap of wings and she was gone

'_Huh... always the dramatic one' _I muttered internally as I looked to the roof of the restroom, my throat was more than likely hitched by the emotions I was feeling so I refrained from speaking for a moment, that women always had a way to make ya feel just above the clouds – eer, mind the horrible pun – but it was true

I can't really say this without sounding like a fanboy but Gabriel was considered the most beautiful women in heaven, in both physical appearance and personality, everything she did was done with grace – again, mind the pun – be it anything, even combat, fluidity was her defining characteristic... except hugs, she really didn't care what she looked like if there was a hug on the line

I huffed calmly to refocus on the present before I snapped my fingers which caused the barrier I erected to shatter "now I'm gonna have to explain why I've been in the washroom for over thirty minutes" I muttered lethargically, shoulders dropping slightly at the inevitable interrogation I was gonna have back at the table

That reunion wasn't at all expected, and I was sure my connection to heaven was limited to the relationship I had with the Vatican, however I suspected my approach to some subjects may still be limited with experience, but at least the reunion was in a sense 'normal', aside from Gabriel being in the men's washroom of all places, it was as normal as it got for me

Then my mind fell back onto what Gabriel had mentioned before she left, _I had brought up the idea of giving you clearance for your divinity release, and I was glad to see they were in agreement_

I nodded firmly at the echoing of her words, the clearance to fully unlocking my angel powers will close the gap of power between me and Malthus significantly, it'll blow my cover most definitely but I didn't really care about that, there was too much at stake for me to worry about a temporary position, since angels my level fought demons of his caliber on the battle field many times in the past, so I needed the game changer

I sighed to myself and dropped those thoughts in resignation, there'll be plenty of opportunities for me to work out my time to release. I sighed again and turned towards the washroom door and calmly walked back to the table the other three were all sitting in

Now while my mind thought up a few thousand ways for me to side step the question 'what took you so long?' I hadn't considered the type of powers an archangel class angel had, and since I stated Gabriel's actual age was light years ahead of mine I had not contemplated the level of power she wielded, stuff that we'd considered extreme and unreachable were in most senses mundane to higher level beings of supreme celestial decent

Apparently Gabriel had erected a time alteration zone when I had entered the restroom without me noticing causing the concept of time outside of the zone to slow in our perspective and to speed up in the perspective of the others outside of the zone, it goes to show you how powerful an angel who was created by god himself many years ago can really do, so instead of getting odd glances and questions I was greeted with not a single one, I might as well have been gone for thirty seconds

Xenovia still sat at her chair near the window while so did Dulio and Irina on their side of the table, upon seeing me Dulio smiled and waved before he got up and walked past me, most likely to wash his hands as well before I sat back down along side Xenovia

While Irina and Xenovia chatted, surprisingly in depth about their respective swords and possible sparing drills I sat there and watched them, then from the corner of my eye I spotted the blonde maid walk up to our table with four drinks

"~here you go~" she said energetically as she placed the drinks in front of us "~your food will be ready shortly~"

"Thank you kindly" with a nod Xenovia thanked the disguised Gabriel before she dropped back into the conversation with Irina, who as well thanked the maid kindly

With a smirk I glanced to Gabriel and winked, gesturing my own thanks and words to the incognito angel discreetly who giggled cutely before she walked off, I shook my head at how ridicules the situation was and how unaware the two female exorcists were to the person whom they had just received drinks from, seeing as how the time in our op had come to a halt for the sake of hunger I took out my phone and dialed the number on the sheet Rias Gremory had given me

Three rings and a female voice sprung up _"hello, Akeno Himejima speaking on be-haft of Rias Gremory, how may I help you?"_ I smirked at the level of professional tact the Gremory queen had

"It's me" I answered dismissively but with a cool smile

"_I'll get Rias for you"_ she said seriously

"_Hello? Is this Isaac?" _now it was the voice of the Gremory heir who spoke, sounding slightly nervous

"Hi, I'm just calling you to inform you of our progress" a soft sigh echoed over the phone _"what do you have to report to me?" _she asked hesitantly, the awkward feeling of speaking with an exorcist casually helped refine her hesitant tone

"I'm just telling you we have encountered zero of these ghouls you mentioned, we've found zero evidence supporting their survival and are moving on with our hunt" my words hung in the air for a second as I noticed Xenovia and Irina watching me, I waved at them casually before Rias started up again

"_There's none?" _she asked, perplexed at my answer

"Yup, they only flourish in dark environments and we pretty much took a trip to every dark location in the city with no sign of even a rock out of place, cities clean as far as I know" again a soft sigh filled my phones speakers before everything went silent "hello?"

"_hold on, I may have something" _I sat patiently while Rias fumbled with what sounded like some paper, I placed my phone down for a second when our meals arrived, smiled thankfully up to the hiding archangel while Xenovia and Irina did so as well before I placed the phone back against my ear

"You there?" I asked

"_Yes, now listen, I may have any idea on where these ghouls may be hiding or even better Malthus if you're lucky—"_

"I don't think finding Malthus can related to anything close to lucky" I piped in jokingly

Rias dismissed my humor with a cold shoulder, guess friendly banter with them wasn't in reach just yet, _"right... anyways, I've found an old subway station schematic lying around in my desk, and apparently it was abandoned twenty years ago due to unstable structuring, that could be a good spot to hide a bunch of undead"_

I nodded, that was as good lead as any "any idea where we may find an access point?"

"_Hmm... where are you right now?" _

I stopped for a second to glance out the window, taking a sip of my beverage all the while "were in a western diner at the north shopping district, a few blocks from Sakura Park" seemed this district had more variety in culture as a few familiar western stores and fast food joints littered the district... we were in a 'Denny's'

A heavily modified Denny's that is, I don't remember seeing French maids serving at a Denny's back in the west

"_There should be an open access shaft a few blocks outside of the city limits, north I believe_" she paused to list off a route for me, most likely, but I stopped her before hand

"There's no need for a route miss Gremory, we can handle it from here" I said confidently, slouching in my seat as I noticed Dulio sit down with a happy smile on his face at seeing the large slew of lunch items on his plate

"_You sure?" _

"Yup"

"_Alright then, good luck" _my eyes blinked at her motivational comment before I smirked

"Thanks, we'll contact you again if we find anything" with my little update to the Gremory heiress I hung up, and picked up my fork, had I not noticed Irina's gaze I may have ignored her, but...

"Well, what's our next move senpai?" questioned Irina curiously, seeing my attention was snatched from eating I looked at her "Apparently there's an old subway station underneath the city which was abandon 20 years ago due to bag structure, Rias Gremory thought it may be a perfect spot for Malthus and his little posy to hide out without any civilian witnesses" I answered, Irina looked suddenly intimidated "it may be our ticket to finding him before he moves on with his plan

"An old subway station?" she asked looking as if she had ants in her shorts

"Scared Iri-chan?" teased Dulio with a nickname forcing Irina to glare at him "I am not!" she said in her own defense

"You kinda look scared" added Xenovia forcing her female partner to look to her in defeat

"I am _not _scared, you should be defending me Xenovia!" gushed the embarrassed pigtailed teen as the blueberry badass beside me simply stared at her neutrally

While the two teased Irina I took the time to eat my already cooling meal with a side helping of entertainment, I glanced lightly over to the counter where Gabriel was helping a few customers before I glanced outside to see something that caused me to deadpan _hard_

'_you've got to be kidding me' _ from outside the window I noticed two people whom stood out from the crowd like sore thumbs, mostly from the fact they were familiar to me but I still noticed them like a fire in the middle of a forest

It was issei hyoudou and the Koneko girl, casually walking down the street...

Now I had a few choices here, I could let them walk by and ignore them which would possibly end in me feeling guilty if they were to suddenly wind up missing... ah, hell with it!

Reaching past Xenovia's head I knocked on the glass roughly enough to catch their attention, the other's looked confused as to my sudden actions but they suddenly realized why quickly

"Issei!" yelled Irina as she waved at the confused teen, who squinted at the window before his eyes widened

"Irina?" he asked, voice muffled by the glass. Irina gestured for him to come, I was genuinely surprised to see him nod without any hesitation, he even looked determined for whatever reason

As the brown haired dragon gear wielder approached I noticed his gaze was locked onto me, I in kind looked at him with confusion at his over hyped expression

"Nice to see you again, hyoudou" I started while he approached us, I noticed him glance to Irina for a moment and smiled at her but his expression returned back to me, I guess his goal wasn't to converse with his childhood friend, as much as I'd hoped it to be, but rather his goal was me

"We need to talk" he stated seriously and simply

The others including myself grew confused by his question "about what?" I asked mutually for all parties

"About your next course of action... We want in"

**XxXxXxX **

**A/N: I'm BAAAAAACK! It's been a whole year since I've written anything but I'm just going to say this, this chapter was CLOSE to being on the chopping block, I noticed to late in my hiatus that there was WAAAAY to many plot holes which impacted my motivation to write immensely and considering my attention has been on other stories currently in the shop for release this story was far from my mind, until today... or yesterday, depending on this chapters actual release**

**I've uploaded a planning chapter for a sudden story idea (take a gander if you're interested in what it is but don't expect it to uploaded soon, planning is still in the drawing phases) and some other news I've taken steps in carrying out story option #3 but it's still on the drawing board**

**But anyways onto my usual after chapter rambling (basically DxD patch notes)**

**Ok so for this chapter you may or may not notice the shortness of this chapter, if you do then please know that this chapter was SLICED in haft, originally this chapter was part of a 33,782 word long chapter, breaching 77 pages which I cut in haft so to get back out there with a new chapter, and to show you guys I'm still alive**

**NOW! Onto curtain things that may rise questions**

**First is the biggest one which is about the angels and the added sexual actives I will be showing. For example in canon, the only way for angels to have sex is through a rigorously long ceremony which limits the deed to one room, keep in mind this Room was built by Michael so Irina could do the deed with issei (it never happens cause the writers a pussy but you get the idea) in the end its specifically built for just those two, this feels very restricting to me so I removed it entirely**

**Angels will not have the "fallen system" that's shown, I've found this to be a massive plot hole myself upon thinking of a scenario, is a resurrected angels sex drive totally removed? If so then the fallen system in canon is redundant as being an angel terminates the need to scaring horny angels from acting on sexually activities (I'd rather not be a dick-less altar boy) if the sex drive isn't terminated then angels are only setting humans up to fail, regardless of one's commitment to chastity humans are still humans especially us guys whom have a very large sex drive (it said in the bible that god wanted humans to live long and reproduce) basically destroy the idea that demons made humans horny little rabbits, HE made it himself**

**So if the saints system doesn't cancel the sex drive then the fallen angels will not have a short supply of fallen angels coming in **

**This leads on to many more issues regarding the falling system in heaven, so I terminated that all together, angels will not fall unless their hearts truly change from divinity, such as, sudden desire to kill innocents, sudden desire for immense sexually intercourse or if God himself removes you personally but because he's dead this role falls on Michael who can fall any angel that's put into question**

**However...**

**If that guy can go out of his busy schedule to make a room so one of his personal follower's can fuck a devil in then I highly doubt he'd care about allowing his angels to repopulate on their own accord**

**It's just a thing with purity that's the main thing**

**Anyways, the next chapter will be out very soon as this is a double upload so to speak, don't expect a massive wait until next chapter**

**In the mean time I'm waiting for the new Spanish operators in siege, snapping necks and cashing checks is what I do**

**PEACE!**

**P.S - what are your guys thoughts on how im handling Rias' character as a whole? **


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